


Reunion on Aristas-Part Two

by Charms7116



Series: Many Years Later Post Movie Dark Crystal AU [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Star Wars - All Media Types, The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Gods and Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dhampir, Fantasy, Ghosts, Magic, Mature age Content, Mentioned The Doctor/The Doctor's TARDIS, Multi, Open Relationships, Original Characters - Freeform, Original Races, Original Timelord Characters - Freeform, Original Universe, Part Two, Psionics, Romance, Science Fiction, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Skeksis - Freeform, Unusual relationship, Urskeks, gelflings, urRu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:21:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 50,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27486436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charms7116/pseuds/Charms7116
Summary: This is my Post Movie Dark Crystal AU it is taken many years later and the UrRu and the Skeksis have been exiled even from Thra due to a Covenant that they signed so for many years they have been wandering the Universe and living on several different worlds, as a result a lot of them have gotten married and had children of their own and learnt to fly spacecraft.The Skeksis even claimed another world to live on called Telgris, The UrRu have mostly been living on a world called Crasolia or on Earth.It has now been close on one thousand years since the movie and they are hoping that they will be able to return to Thra one day and are hoping to find a way to be led home and no longer be lost.This is Part Two of Reunion on Aristas- It gets more into the Dark Crystal Crossover from here rather than anything else.This is a good introductory Chapter as it introduces the older children of the  UrRu
Series: Many Years Later Post Movie Dark Crystal AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941238
Kudos: 1





	1. Introduction to Part Two

UrSol pulled his car into the pub that was just down the road from the Centre and parked next to UrUtt’s, and wondering if UrTih had come with him.

But drinking wasn’t the only reason he was here tonight; he was here to have a night out with his best friends and watch the finals between Crasolia and Earth, between two of the top-ranking teams in the galaxy they were just weeks out of the Final.

He parked, one thing he had learnt to do over the last few years was to learn to drive, but at least he could drive and disliked driving at night if he could help it, but it wouldn’t be fully dark for several hours yet, Aristas had a long twilight, he was driving his car, so it had Tanla’s booster seat in the back.

He took his walking staff (UrAc had made them all new ones) and put on his shoes; he still preferred to walk barefoot so his feet were wide, broad and had sturdy soles.

He checked his reflection in the mirror and smoothed his long black hair (white-streaked and worn in his customary style he still wore his hair UrRu style, **he** looked more Gelfling these days just a tall one) and got out of the car and locked it.

He wandered into the pub it was an English style pub and spied his two friends near the big TV at one of the tables; Game nights were always noisy and crowded at the pub regardless of where you were in the Galaxy.

  
“Hi,” said UrSol joining them, raising his ordinarily soft voice against the din.  
  
“Hello,” said UrUtt “I got you a light beer, I know you don’t drink too much”.  
  
“I’m not sure how much I can drink anymore,” UrSol said sitting down “thanks”.  
  
UrTih grunted “will you _look_ at you!” he said.  
  
“So,” said UrSol “but like it or not I’m somewhat Gorta-Trellian these days, it is ironic though isn’t it, I look more Gelfling these days and don’t mind it one bit”.  
  
UrTih sighed “I wish something like that had happened to me! But I guess, Kalitha seems to like me the way I am though, thank the Gods none of us looks so old now!” due to Jen healing the Crystal some time ago at the last Great Conjunction all of them, had gotten renewed and looked more like they had just after been separated apart from their long hair and more spirals, and older.  
  
UrUtt nodded “true; however, you two are one up on me, you both have someone to go home to” he picked up a menu he was also now more definitely male and oddly Ekt had chosen to use ‘ _She_ ’ now “all I have is my cat!”  
  
It was ironic UrSol reflected how he did look more Gelfling now, considering how they had felt about the Gelfling at first, our people wouldn’t even recognise half of us anymore and we would no longer fit in with them.  
  
“No,” Utt replied.  
  
“Oh,” said UrTih.  
  
" However, there is this woman I **do** like, she’s Gorta-Trellian, she enjoys my company, yes, I’m more male-like you two, SkekEkts the one who is confused!”.  
  
“Go on,” said UrTih.  
  
“She's a teacher at the school, she teaches Agriculture or something”.  
  
“Oh,” said UrTih “is that that blonde I have seen you with on occasion?”  
  
“Yes,” he said, “that’s her, Melisande, she prefers Sandy, and she is attractive, isn’t she?".  
  
UrSol said “ _Hmm_ ” sounding a bit more like his counterpart Skeksil for a moment which made them all chuckle.  
  
UrUtt continued then “I’m still not sure how she feels about me long term yet though".  
  
UrSol changed the subject then “it may be necessary for all of us to come together again in the only way we can to save the universe, I have to agree with the Master on that one, I’m probably one of the most powerful of us all, although I admit I tend to forget that at times, **_I’m_** the Chanter after all”.  
  
“Hey look who else decided to come here to watch the game,” UrTih said as the door opened and several people came in, UrSol’s oldest son Solstarin (also often called Sol) Darellan, Teloth Midnite, their half elven girlfriends Jessamyn and Annaliza, Mozellia ( UrSol’s oldest daughter) and Kyrianni Sunfire, Sunlazer’s twin sister Sundancer Sunfire’s oldest child, they were never that far apart.  
  
Mozi and Kyri didn’t have partners yet but UrSol suspected that might change and soon well as least as far as his daughter was concerned, Mozi had been dating quite steadily a young Knight of Lystran in the past year, his oldest daughter was now an attractive young woman, favouring her Gorta-Trellian blood rather than her UrSkek  
  
Solstarin spied them and waved and came over, he did resemble him in his features but not as much as his younger brother Trumea did who favoured his father in looks the most, but he had always been the most Urskek child of his children.  
  
“Hi, what are you doing here?” he asked his father.  
  
“Watching the game,” UrSol said, “and having a beer with my two best friends”.  
  
“Surely you don’t want to hang around with us oldsters?” UrUtt said then with a smile.  
  
UrTih sighed “wish something like that would happen to me” he took a drink of his beer “think you can talk your Uncle Durnaa into giving me some Shapeshifting powers or a new body”.  
  
Solstarin said “ _Hmm_ ” his father’s UrRu friends had always been a part of his life, and although he found them a little strange, he could understand why his Uncle didn’t.  
  
UrSol chuckled “Durnaa claims he had _nothing_ to do with it!”  
  
“Yeah, right! He’s Second Head of the Parthenon for goodness sake! Or _course_ he had something to do with it!” UrTih said ‘want a beer anyone?”  
  
“Yes,” said UrUtt.  
  
“No, a lemon, lime and bitters would be good for me,” said UrSol “I’m not sure how much alcohol I can consume without it affecting me. Besides, I have been told not to drink too much”.  
  
“You’re still not ill, are you?” UrUtt asked.  
  
“No!” UrSol said with a chuckle “I’m not perfect, But I’m most definitely am not dying anymore and I’m not ill! I’m as fit as I can be, but I have been told not to drink too much”.  
  
  
“I’m still surprised that both you and Azshar have managed to have children with a Gorta-Trellian woman,” UrTih said.  
  
“Half breed GT children take after one of their parents more, my children are more GT than they are UrSkek, I’m still UrSkek and what’s more half an Urskek!”  
  
“Ok, so your kids should be able to have children of their own?”  
  
“yes the balance between their two sides is how it should be,” said UrSol “ they may have a little trouble conceiving but they can have children, they won’t have the same problems Nova and I did at conceiving, they are all more Gorta-Trellian then they are UrSkek a couple of generations it probably won’t even matter anymore, or its impact will be minimal, the balance between their two sides is how it should be, equally, and I fall under that now as well, if Nova and I manage to have another it will probably be fully GT, more or less”.  
  
Dad can we sit with you three?” Mozellia asked.  
  
“Surely you don’t want to be stuck here with us?” UrUtt teased her remembering how he used to carry her on his back when she was little, he tweaked Mozi’s nose and laughed at her expression.  
  
“There are no other seats and you three aren’t so bad,” Mozellia said, she remembered how she used to play at his feet as a child or to sit near him as he showed her how he worked his loom, she had a dress he had made for her which she loved it was so beautiful and soft, he had been the one who had taught her how to sew and she loved his gentle personality.  
  
“ I can still remember you carrying me on your back playing horsey’s, “ she said, she loved her father’s friends even if they were a little odd and sad at times, they had all taught her so much, Urutt to sew and weave, from UrTih her love of Science came from, from gentle if sometimes acerbic UrIm her interest in healing and so on and her father her love of music, they had taught her and her siblings so much, but it had been her father she had learnt the most out of them all, her gentle, wise father, with his powerful gift for music, and like Solstarin, she would have been lost if they had lost him.  
  
“ _Hmm_ , you’re a little too big for me to carry on my back anymore,” UrUtt said, “very well if you think you can stand us, very well”.  
  
“Hay! I’m still bigger than she is!” UrTih protested then.  
  
“Only if I sit down,” Mozi said, “or when you stand up straight”.  
  
Urtih got to his feet and did so “yep!” and then went back to his customary stance leaning on his staff “Ok I’ll get us some drinks” he left the table.  
  
  
The rest of Mozi’s friends and siblings joined them, and Sol said: “lucky you guys got here early, you got a reasonably unobstructed view, the place is packed”.  
  
“ _Hmm_ yeah,” said UrSol as UrTih came back holding a tray of drinks in his primary arms and his staff in one of his lower ones and he was standing up straight (more or less), Mozi had always been amazed at how they managed so many limbs so deftly.


	2. SkekSil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter SkekSil!

UrTih came up to put the tray of drinks on the table and dropped back down to his customary stance and said: “you are going to have to get the next round it is getting too crowded for me to move comfortably”.  
  
“You know it never actually occurred to me just how odd or tall we were,” said UrSol.   
  
“We’re big and slow, we aren’t so bad now due to been rejuvenated to how we were just after the Separation, but we've always been slow, but then so are the Skeksis, “ UrTih said “I can see why you prefer that form shape, females are smaller and slimmer but not as much, as Kali and I found out,".  
  
“Nova always was on top,” UrSol said “I insisted on that, however in the last few years....” he trailed off “let’s just say we have found more positions that we both enjoy, and we can do it just about anywhere now, bath, shower etc...” he shrugged “ with Changes upon her though both, neither of us it seems can keep our hands off each other!” he looked embarrassed “I want to be with her now! “he paused and blushed.  
  
UrUtt said, “yep definitely I noticed that you and Nova haven’t been able to keep your hands off each other!”  
  
“We both have,” said Urtih with a grin, (it was strange to see a UrRu smile Mozi thought they did it so rarely they didn’t look so sad when they smiled) clapping Ursol on the shoulder “ Kali and I, most we do is snuggle mostly”.  
  
UrTih said , “say UrSol think you can get your brother in law to grant me some shapeshifting abilities?”  
  
“ _Shapeshifting_ abilities?” UrSol asked.   
  
“So, I can change my form as you can”.  
  
“You could ask him,” UrUtt said breaking apart his steak, he had ordered onion rings, vegetables, and fish.  
  
UrSol had gone for pork rib, sour cream, corn, and plum sauce, UrTih had bought the pubs special, steak, chips and vegetables and a beer.  
  
Solstarin indicated the steak “that looks good”.  
  
“It is,” his father said, “I enjoy a bit of meat these days.”

Solstarin said, ‘you been like that for as long as I’ve known you, confused about your gender.” in response to another question  
  
Utt shrugged “you know, till this day, I still don’t know! and yes, SkekEkt has recently taken to thinking of herself as a ‘She’”.  
  
“You've always been like that for as long as I’ve known you,” said Solstarin, he liked the UrRu Weaver he had a similar nature and wisdom as his father and he’d always been around, him and Tih they were amongst his father’s best friends and had looked after him and his siblings occasionally, especially when his father had been too sick to do so, Sol and his siblings had been as strongly influenced by their fathers birth race as much as their mothers, his father would always have links to this strange alien race from another place he was one of them, he didn’t know the full story behind them though.  
  
UrSol said ‘you weren’t the only one”.  
  
UrUtt said, “To be honest it has gotten quite crowded I never realised how big we were!”  
  
Urtih indicated his friend, “UrSol ask your brother-in-law if he can grant me some shapeshifting powers”.  
  
UrSol said “I’m not sure if he can” he took a sip of his drink “would help though, I never realised how big we were either”.  
  
“Kalitha is smaller than me but not by much,” he said referring to his UrRu partner “our women, rare as they are, are almost as big as we are, Kali says she’s always been self-conscious about that”.   
  
"SkekEkt says she has the same problem, but not so much seeing that she stands up straight and we don’t,” Utt said “but she’s tall as well, with her spines and all that, still getting used to SkekEkt preferring to use ‘She’ these days and Ung is huge! And it’s all muscle these days no fat! We aren’t exactly a small race, we’re human size but oddly shaped, both sides and we both have tails and multiple limbs”.  
  
“Sil isn’t so much anymore,” said UrSol “speak of the devil!” he looked up as the door opened again blowing some snow in and his Counterpart walked in wrapped up in a coat and his robes “guess he is going to have to sit with us seeing there is no more room”, he waved to his Counterpart.  
  
“You know I detest his whimper,” UrTih said.  
  
“And you think I don’t,” UrSol asked, “he’s not so bad now though, we do get on”.  
  
UrUtt said, “mine isn’t so bad anymore either, I just find her vain and a fop that’s all, but then, she’s always been”.  
  
UrTih nodded “marrying a Crasolian changed him” he indicated SkekSil.  
  
“Like I said mines just vain as and a bit of a pain,” said UrUtt “we aren’t exactly friends, but we aren’t exactly enemies anymore either and we do talk”.   
  
“And I have never forgiven mine for what he did, and he knows it, we’re no longer enemies and we do work well together on a project, but I wouldn’t exactly call us friends, but like you, we aren’t enemies anymore either,” UrTih said ‘why do you think he’s on Telgris”.  
  
“Do you hate each other so much?” Solstarin asked, “and why?”  
  
“It’s a long story, and complicated’ UrTih said, “and no, I don’t hate him, not anymore”.  
  
“Hate is a strong word and emotion Sol,” said Urutt then “no it is not hate I feel towards my other side, I _can’t_ hate him, but it does not mean I like him, you can dislike someone, without hating them” and with that simple statement, Urutt proved to Sol that he was indeed one of the UrRu.   
  
“Kind of hard to hate when they’re the other side of you” UrTih added, proving the same thing “oh call him over, UrSol, I can put up with him for one night!”  
  
“Ok,” said UrSol waving as skekSil joined them holding a beer in his taloned hand.   
  
“Sure, I’ll fit,” he asked.  
  
“Sit beside me” UrUtt invited “you no longer have the bulk you used to either Sil”.  
  
“Mmm yeah,” said Skeksil sitting in between UrSol and UrUtt.  
  
“Watch my wings and my tail,” said UrSol and wrapped his tail around the chair.  
  
SkekSil looked at UrUtt “nor do you”.  
  
Urutt said, “I’ve looked like this for a while”.  
  
Skeksil nodded “guess what I’ve heard from SkekTek and SkekLi they are on their way here, with some important news, their world has been occupied as we know, and they are part of the resistance” Skeksil was still the Chamberlain and pretty much knew where everyone was at any one time.  
  
“The Penal Colony?” Solstarin asked.  
  
“yes,” he said, “but it is not entirely a penal colony anymore and the T’ron is occupying it at the moment”.   
  
“Ouch! What does the T’ron want with a former penal colony which is also a jungle world? Apart from the metals it provides. But SkekTek?” UrTih asked.  
  
“UrLii will be happy to hear that he thought his Counterpart had turned,” UrSol said “but SkekTek? He’s the last person I expect to do that!”  
  
“That’s the problem it seems; it seems that Ung and Zok have thrown their lot in with the enemy! Or appear to have done so according to Kellan” SkekSil said.  
  
“Ouch!” said UrSol “Durnaa and UrSu will want to know that”.   
  
“Well, that is one of the reasons they are coming here,” said Sil “at risk to themselves “.   
  
“ _Here_?” UrTih asked.   
  
“Yes,” said SkekSil.   
  
“Where we going to put them?” UrTih asked, “we’re full!”  
  
“One of the other lodges, 11, 12 or 13,” said UrSol.  
  
“We’ll have to,” said Sil.   
  
“Think twelve has some room,” said UrTih “it's where they put Xavier and his companions”.   
  
“We can also use thirteen,” UrSol said, “Durnaa told me that; it’s where they put those others from a crashed ship in thirteen”.   
  
“Oh yeah I forgot about them,” said UrTih.   
  
“Just put them in 13,” said Sil.  
  
UrSol looked out of the window then and realised it was snowing ‘so when is Summer coming?”.  
  
UrTih said, “Aristas has long seasonal periods it isn’t quite summer yet, seasons here can last years, this last winter has lasted six years, last time we were here it was Summer, they count the months using the Earth calendar but the seasons they do not, it is  
something to do with the planets orbit, I looked it up out of curiosity, Aughra would have found it fascinating, I did!”  
  
SkekSil frowned “whatever did happen to her anyway? “he asked.  
  
UrSol said ‘still on Thra as far as I know”.  
  
SkekSil sighed “we kind of all stopped talking to her and she proved our friend to the last”.  
  
“You fell into your darkness,” UrSol said “you turned your backs on the natural world and its way, we never did, but we even I admit lost contact with her when we became too restricted to leave the valley ourselves, so it is not entirely your fault, we both grew weak, your description of us as _impractical, chanting visionaries lost in our dreams_ wasn’t entirely untrue, we both grew weak, the UrRu and the Skeksis! It took one thousand trines, most of us dying, a great Conjunction, and a choice, to make us all realise  
that! We were sent there to die! And they were never going to take us back! The Skeksis are strong now but so are we, the UrRu. Forever divided but strong, if what you say is true, Durnaa and UrSu should be warned”.  
  
SkekSil said, “We always thought you were weak”.   
  
“We were, but so were you,” said UrSol “that Conjunction freed us all, you have all chosen your paths on your own free will, and any of those that have chosen darkness have done so as well, which makes them all the more dangerous but that is a risk we had to take, knowing this will help us counter it, there must be a balance in all things, those that have chosen darkness have done so on their own free will”.   
  
“You sound like Durnaa,” said SkekSil then.  
  
UrSol shrugged “maybe I do but it’s the truth”.  
  
UrTih said “it’s the truth we messed up that Balance, it is why we got separated in the first place! It is what UrAzshar has been trying to tell us all along; we didn’t listen. Till it was too late, you know he left because he knew we wouldn’t do anything? He and  
UrIon were one of the last to do so, to decide to leave the Valley and not come back”.  
  
“Azshar did fall out of the sky though,” UrUtt said, “I was there when it happened, I don’t know the current changed, and he couldn’t adjust or something, which was odd because he was quite adept at gliding on the air currents, that fall should have killed him, but it didn’t, and we didn’t know why”.  
  
“Pardon?” Solstarin asked.   
  
“Azshar did fall out of the sky, he always had wings it’s just that they were wings of ether, he fell out of the sky in the Valley on Thra early in, maybe he miscalculated or something, he couldn’t fly but he could glide and was quite adept at it, he never got as bad as the rest of us, where do you think he got that limp? He fell out of the sky, that fall should have killed him, but it didn’t, as it was, he was in a coma for days, gravely wounded, his leg crushed, it left him gravely wounded we weren’t even sure if he was going to wake up!” UrUtt said.  
  
Solstarin said, “I always wondered where he got that and some of his scars, Durnaa has a limp to but on the other leg.”  
  
“That was how,” said Tih “I’m not even sure if he remembers it fully! Durnazshar was never originally one of us; he and Taelion were never meant to be there; they were there by accident! They came looking for UrSu and UrSol!”  
  
“Serious!” said Solstarin.   
  
“No, he wasn’t, he was affected just like we were though, his darker side was separated, Darkside, Lightside although SkekDurn was always Durn and never really fell into the darkness the others did, he was shattered in both body and soul like the rest of us. But I am now a Chosen it seems as well”.  
  
“You’re a Chosen?” UrTih asked him.  
  
“yes,” said UrSol “I haven’t been one for awfully long, five years to be exact but yes, seems like when Nova got elevated, and I got reborn so was I’m a Chosen like Az is as well now”.  
  
“Then that means...” he looked at SkekSil.  
  
“He is too,” said UrSol.  
  
“That explains a few things then” Skeksil remarked “like how I suddenly have clerical powers!” he cut his steak “Heh! Something to make SkekZok annoyed about! _Mmmm_! And annoy Ung with, that’s if I ever see either of them again!” he rubbed his claws together and chortled to himself, clearly doing his favourite pastime Plotting! Sil was _still_ Sil!  
  
UrTih said, “you lot styled yourself as Lords of the Crystal and thought yourselves akin to Gods, seems like one of you got that wish”.  
  
Skeksil shrugged ‘we _**were**_ Lords of the Crystal! You were the ones that left but sometimes I wish I could rub that in SkekUng’s face seeing he was the one who exiled me and called me weak! ** _I’m_** the one that ended up a Chosen! Gods he would hate that!” he drank his beer “SkekSil and his group of outcasts! If he has thrown his lot in with the enemy, he and the others will feel my power!”  
  
“Just as long as you don’t kill each other or hurt each other too much!” UrTih said a warning tone in his voice “remember we’re still linked!”  
  
Skeksil said ‘you think I don’t know that! Skeksis do not _kill_ Skeksis! UrTih! It’s an unspoken rule and always has been! Despite what people say, I did not **kill** SkekVar!!! although technically you and Tek should be dead anyway! If Durn hadn’t saved you!” he paused “no I won’t kill him, I know we can’t do that we have the same limitations you do in that area, although we did forget it there for a while or tried too, but if they have fallen in with the enemy they will be brought to Justice! We’ll give them to Durnaa!”  
  
“Or we’ll mete out our justice,” said Urutt “UrSu will insist on that, and then we’ll give them to Durnaa! We weren’t evil but nor were we fully Neutral either it’s why we were accused of heresy in the first place! And why our people don’t want us back”.   
  
“What do you think Durnaa would do to them?” UrTih asked.   
  
“Probably exile them to Tyzon’s realm or something,” said UrSol “but have any of us ever seen Durnaa in Justicar mode?”  
  
“No have you? You’re the closest to him” UrTih said.  
  
UrSol said “I have seen hints of it yes, but never in full Justicar mode, Durnaa does have a temper though. I have never seen him in a full-blown rage, but I have seen him angry, Durnaa is dangerous when he’s angry that is when he is at his most Neutral, that is when he is the Justicar, Durnaa isn’t fully Neutral, but nor is he fully good, he is both, much like we were. I would not recognise Durnaa in Justicar Mode I think, Sellaware is more like what he would be and if he does feel the Balance is off-kilter he will take action then, that is what he would be like in Justicar mode only more so when he took down Izon, that was in full Justicar mode, he rarely uses that Power he has, but when he does, we will all know!”  
  
“Don’t annoy the second Head of the Crasolian Parthenon,” Urutt said.  
  
Darellan said, “I have seen Uncle Durnaa in Justicar Mode, you would not know him”.  
  
They all looked at him then they had all forgotten that he was UrAzshar’s oldest son, UrAzshar who was Chosen of Durnaa and had served him for many years in said position as his Aide and as a result lived in Durnaa’s realm, Darellan did resemble his  
father strongly in looks and manner and was the most like him, and due to his father’s High status he was also a Chosen, all of Azshar’s children were, Azshar himself often said he had to remind all of his children of that fact sometimes because they all often forgot the Power they all had!  
  
“Guess you would have,” said UrSol.  
  
Darellan said “we learnt to avoid him” he took a sip of his beer ‘you would not know him. I would consider your decision very carefully if you hand the rest of the Skeksis over to him, he won't kill them but if what you say is true then he would mete out some hefty Justice, that they would wish he had, Durnaa is pure Neutral when he uses that part of his power, he even scares my father when he does that. I think all of us forget just how much power he does have! Even the other gods! He forgets the power he wields as well at times”.   
  
“You would know, wouldn’t you,” said UrTih, “we sometimes forget that you are Az’s son”.  
  
“Azshar is my father, although many have thought it was Durnaa,” said Darellan quietly.


	3. Night out with the Fam- Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solstarin- UrSol's oldest son- UrRu/ Gorta-Trellian Crossbreed aged around twenty-three, commonly called 'Sol'.  
> Darellan- UrAzshar's oldest son-UrRu /Gorta-Trellian/ cross aged around twenty-two  
> Tanla- UrSol's youngest daughter, Urling aged five  
> Annaliza and Jessamyn - Twin sisters displaced out of time and place from 21st century Earth and unable to get back- currently in relationships with Solstarin and Teloth (who's the son of Durnaa's brother Ajeea) both around twenty-three  
> These kids have all grown up around the UrRu and the Skeksis so their used to their odd ways and know their story (mostly) the boys due to mix blood favour their UrSkek and Gorta-Trellian blood so they both look more human  
> And for some reason I have always had SkekLach and SkekVa as brothers, which make their counterparts UrMa and UrSen brothers as well.

“Their starting!” Sol said suddenly then “their singing the Crasolian national anthem, seeing it is Crasolia which is hosting it”.  
  
Sol fell silent all the Crasolians did, Sol held a hand across his hearts (yes, he had two having inherited what was known as _the Midnite Mutation_ as it was known as had Solstarins little sister Tanla) Sol had always felt a little strange and a little subconscious of his double heartbeat but he knew why his little sister Tanla had it too.  
  
Darellan sang softly beside him “shining star forever’ he held his hand over his, (Az did have two as well and always had even as a UrSkek due to his mixed blood) Solstarin hummed softly and behind him, he could hear his father’s distinctive voice singing  
softly, UrSol always hummed.  
  
Music had always been his dads magic, his father’s distinctive voice rose slightly over everyone else’s, you could always tell when UrSol sang and seeing he had long been a part of Crasolian society, UrSol sang the anthem as proudly as any Crasolian.  
  
When it was done, they sang the anthem of Earth and the game started, UrSol said “er sorry about that I do tend to overrule everyone else’s voice when I sing” he shrugged sheepishly.  
  
UrTih spoke then “you're used to leading the songs; it has always been your magic; it is why you are The Chanter”.  
  
“Ssh!” Teloth said impatiently a trait he shared with his father Ajeea “I got a fair sum of money riding on the Crasolians to be the first to score and win the game!”  
  
“Who with?” Darellan asked.  
  
“One of the guys down in engineering he reckons Earth is going to win,” said Teloth.  
  
“That would be Russell I’m guessing?”  
  
“yes,” said Teloth.  
  
“Probability favours Crasolia” Darellan said having inherited some of Durnazshar's seeric gift and Durnazshar’s gift for probability.  
  
“Earth has a good team though,” Jessamyn said then over the last five years she had learnt the rules of Rugby Union, she preferred American football, which Teloth found laughable but even she admitted that you got to see more of the players but like Liz wondered where all the padding was.  
  
Anna wasn’t that much of a fan and five years had not changed that attitude but then Anna was Anna, which is why Jessamyn felt that Solstarin was perfect for her sister, he wasn’t much of a sports fan either, Jess still saw that been dumped nine hundred years into the future and in an alternate universe were a stroke of luck for her and her sister, seeing it had put them both into the arms of two alien guys who seemed _made_ for them!  
  
“Crasolia will win,” said UrTih then “I’d get another beer, but it is now too crowded in here for me to move comfortably”.  
  
“I too,” said Skeksil then “not without some difficulty”.  
  
“I’ll go,” said UrSol “I can walk around pretty easily now seeing I am shapeshifted.”  
  
“I can just Orb,” said Darellan.  
  
“We can all do that now!” Sol said, “just not as much as you!”  
  
Darellan said, “I’ll go Uncle UrSol”.  
  
UrSol stood up “we’ll both go” he stood up and took orders from everyone.   
  
“It is still weird to see you like that Uncle UrSol” Darellan remarked.  
  
“Get used to it,” he said, “I like having two arms, I can drop into my default form if I want to, I just am not limited to it anymore!”  
  
“I seriously need some shapeshifting abilities” UrTih grumbled.  
  
UrSol moved away from the table, Darellan just orbed into the crowd, “Ok be back soon” and went into the crowd narrowing avoiding Skeksil's tail, who glared at him, UrSol got on with his Counterpart, mostly these days but they weren’t always best friends, SkekSil found him boring and ponderous at time, but they got on more or less.  
  
As Urtih had said, it was hard to hate one another when they were your other half and several of them had realised that Skeksil had been the first and it seemed that SkekTek had finally realised it too.  
  
UrSol looked around his eyes shining with a faint glow, his eyes were green they always had been, most of them had black or brown but not all of them, UrTih’s were a dark green, UrLii’s were blue, brothers UrMa, and UrSen were different one had blue the other green, UrSu’s were Grey blue, UrZah’s were ice blue, and UrSol’s were green, UrHom’s were green, their counterparts were more reptilian looking but also shared the different shades hair and eye colour was something they both shared, everyone had just assumed that they all had black eyes, it hadn’t been so obvious in their true form as their shining eyes hid their true colour but in their departed form it was, a majority of them had brown or black but not all of them.

“Where you been?” Darellan asked.  
  
“Navigating my way through the crowd,” he replied.  
  
“You know in that form it is obvious that your eyes aren’t brown” he remarked.  
  
“My eyes have always been green,” UrSol said “it’s just that no one noticed, not all of us have brown or black eyes, most of us do but not all, UrTih’s are green it is not so obvious in our true form, but in our departed form it is, in our departed form we are more individual it is that individuality that got us exiled and branded as Heretics in the first place! But despite all that, I would not want to be rejoined again. I have gotten used to be as I’m now and enjoy that individuality”.   
  
“Seriously,” he said he had to admit he didn’t know the full story behind them.   
  
“Yes, and you’d find we all feel that way now, the Skeksis and us both!” he smiled “the irony of it all, the UrSkeks didn’t punish us all those years ago they did that long ago, they _freed_ us!” he laughed then “they did for us what we had been trying to do all along! We are who we are now permanently, and we all like it, thanks ironically to the UrSkeks! Us the exiles, the Fallen! They should never have let us go! That second time when we left and never went back after 50 odd years been miserable on UrSkaa” he put his glasses on then “let’s see now, coke for me, Toohey’s for Skeksil and Boags for UrTih” he went up and made his order.  
  
"You don't drink much” Darellan remarked.  
  
“I was so sick for so long I'm afraid too,” he said, “so I just don't drink, been sick for so long, keeping anything down was hard”.  
  
“But you're ok now?” said Darellan.  
  
“True, but nor does **_your_** father drink much either,” UrSol said.  
  
“Dad says he is afraid to get drunk because he has too much power to get drunk” Darellan said as the room burst into cheers.  
  
“Who scored?” UrSol asked, “you’re got a better view than me”.   
  
“Crasolia” Darellan replied wishing he knew more about his Father’s strange alien race, they didn’t speak much of their past it made them both sad and bitter, even his father didn’t speak much of it.  
  
“Way to go,” UrSol said, taking his order.  
  
Darellan said, “it is still _weird_ to see you like that Uncle UrSol”.  
  
UrSol looked at his humanoid appearing form he was about 6.0, well-built yet slim, with black hair worn long in UrRu style, small pointed ears, almond shaped green eyes and said, “get used to it; once I found out that my form was changeable, I changed it, much easier to enjoy life now” he took his order “now I’ll have to navigate my way back through”.  
  
“Oh”.   
  
“Maybe I can just teleport,” he said.


	4. Night out  with the Fam- Solstarin's Proposal.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romantic moment between Annaliza and Solstarin.
> 
> Solstarin due to being UrSol's oldest son is sometimes also called 'Sol' by his friends and family.

Meanwhile, outside on the back verandah of the pub which was a little quieter seeing it was snowing and cold, Solstarin had guided Annaliza out so he could have some air and talk to Anna without having to shout.  
  
Anna shivered in the cold air; the temperature must have dropped ten degrees since they had gone in, Solstarin put his coat around her and wrapped his wings around them both she had learnt that they could do amazing things with their large pair of wings, they often went to sleep together wrapped in his wings.  
  
“We’ll have a frost tonight” Solstarin remmarked.  
  
“Isn’t summer supposed to be coming?” she asked.  
  
“Aristas is in its winter cycle at the moment, ” he said “I’ve never been here during the winter, it has always been the summer” Solstarin remmarked he turned to her “ we might even have snow for Christmas, summer is coming, but it is taking its time”.  
  
“Aren’t you cold?” she asked.  
  
Sol said “a little bit but I’m GT, our body temperature is slightly higher than a human or a half elf, I also have two hearts so I’ll be fine for a little while”.  
  
“I always wondered about your weird heartbeat, I thought it was because you were alien,” Anna said.  
  
Sol said, “ it is the _Midnite Mutation_ , Tanla and I have it as does Darellan and Darellan’s younger twin sisters, Teloth doesn’t but I think he's younger sister does, GT normally do not have two, it is on the opposite side to yours but we only normally have one, it runs in the family, Durnaa and Ajeea have it, Nova doesn’t but she has two kids who do at least one of their kids have it, there is the chance that if we have a child as well, ours will too”.  
  
“ _ **Serious**_!”.   
  
“Yes,” he said, “same goes for Teloth and Jess, Teri’s daughter has it”.  
  
Anna remembered Teri’s daughter “that would be Fairy wouldn’t it”.  
  
“Yes,” said Sol “their twins her kids so they both probably have it”.  
  
“What does it mean?” she asked.  
  
“Not much you can sense things or when something is amiss and there are a few advantages to you having the two, mind you Darellan seeing he is Chosen can probably affect things to a certain extent as well, but it is not my cousins I want to talk to you about”.  
  
“I sometimes forget your cousins the three of you, Darellan and Teloth and you are more like brothers than cousins”.  
  
“We’re cousins,” said Solstarin “ but we are all so close in age, so yes we probably do seem to be more like brothers than cousins we are as close as brothers and may take us for such, we’re all Midnites, but like I said it is not my cousins I want to talk to you about, I want to talk about us”.  
  
“You’re not going to break up with me, are you?” she asked.  
  
“ _Hardly_! Sol said, “how long have we been dating Anna?”  
  
“For four or five years” she replied. “most people have moved in together by that time on Earth if not gotten married” maybe Sol was going to ask her to move in with him, Jess already had with Teloth.  
  
“Do you love me?” he asked, “I know I love you but do you feel the same about me?”  
  
Anna thought about it and then said: “yes I do, I wasn’t sure at first but I’m now”.  
  
Solstarin nodded “even if I’m a bit stuffy and too _UrRu_ at times?”  
  
Anna laughed “yes, I don’t fully understand them but I do understand why you are like that.”  
  
“My father is UrRu despite what you think and his two friends have always been around, my cousins claim that gets in my way at times, my UrRu blood but quite frankly I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would be so lost without my gentle, wise father, the  
exile from another world even if he is a bit strange at times. And I’m glad that he has been given another chance at life, yes my UrRu blood does probably get in the way at times I admit to that, but I’m also Gorta-Trellian, can you live with that?”  
  
“Yes I could,” she said, “I like that about you.”  
  
“Good,” he said “I had to ask that before I do this” he got down on one knee and pulled out a small box “Annaliza, will you give me the honour of marrying you?”  
  
Anna was stunned, Jess had teased her about this for months when Teloth had asked her six months ago “your next Lizzie” she had said.  
  
Anna thought it over, 900 years out of her own time and world amid a war and this wonderful alien guy, this perfect guy for her, the child of an exile from another world, and a Princess of Crasolia, and probably a Prince in his own right wanted her to marry him and suddenly it came all clear to her and she knew her answer.  
  
“Yes!” she breathed “Oh yes, Prince Solstarin! I will marry you!”  
  
Solstarin opened the box and put a beautiful, elegant diamond ring on her finger; she noticed it had a star sapphire in the setting too.  
  
Solstarin said, “the Sapphire is for House Midnite, it is traditional that when a lady marries into a noble house, she gets the right to wear that houses stone as well as it’s sigil, I’m a Midnite, so you get the right to wear both I got the ring made especially for you”.   
  
“it’s beautiful!” she breathed “but what if I had said no”.  
  
“I knew you would say yes, my UrRu blood again, and it is as beautiful as you are _Leshard_ i” he kissed her “we can have a long engagement if you like but I want the world to know that we are to be married that and my parents and Uncles of course!”  
  
“Of course,” she said, “I keep forgetting that you have _twin_ Uncles!”  
  
“Durnaa and Ajeea,” he said “ you are marrying into a large clan I warn you now, a very large, a very powerful and ancient clan who also happens to be one of the Royal lines of Crasolia, we aren’t inbred but our ties are close, as Uncle Durnaa says our lines  
are too close as it ! and it is probably why we are so powerful. Also, we tend to marry within our clan,”.  
  
Anna said, “I guess”.  
  
“Durnaa says our lines are close but fortunately not that badly inbred”.  
  
“Has there been any?” she asked.  
  
“Yes some cousins have been known to wed on occasion but not first cousins and we aren’t in the habit of wedding brother to sister or mother to son or father to daughter and first cousins are generally off-limits, I couldn’t marry Terani say but I could  
possible marry Fairy but it is not encouraged but it does happen, clan as big as ours the lines are bound to cross sometime. Sundancer’s son likes Uncle Ajeea’s youngest daughter. Sundancer is Ajeea, Nova and Durnaa’s first cousin, so I guess it makes them second cousins, that has been known to happen that is what I mean, Uncle Ajeea’s daughter is my first cousin, but it makes Sundancer’s son my second I think I don’t know”.  
  
“So you could marry Kyrianni,” Anna said.  
  
“I guess, it would make her second cousin rather than a first, Sunlazer is Durnaa’s first cousin, so technically I could marry Kyri because she is a Sunfire, you know I never thought about that, I always thought her a first but she’s a second, as Sundancer is Durnaa’s first cousin not mine! Kyri’s a second not a first, come on Liz you not telling me you thought that Kyri was a threat?”  
  
“Well she’s pretty, and GT and a princess and she’s really good friends with the rest of you,” Liz said.  
  
Solstarin said “Anna, it is you who I want to marry, not Kyri! It would be like marrying my _sister_!” he took Anna’s hand “come on let’s go tell everyone, that I have staked my claim” he kissed her “your all mine now Anna” he let out a low growl and then grinned “I’ve chosen my mate” then they both walked back in.  
  
Teloth nudged Darellan “look like Sol’s finally chosen his mate, Grrr!”  
  
Darellan said, “don’t start howling Teloth” Teloth had always had a bit more wolf in him than Darellan had, probably because Darellan was a Halfbreed and Teloth wasn’t, for although he didn’t look it, Darellan was Half Gorta-Trellian, Half UrRu, a Urling as young UrRu were called.  
  
Teloth said “hey, you’re as much Dragon-Wolf as I am somehow you are also of our line, somewhere, and so’s Sol!”  
  
“Have you told the girls about our shapeshifting abilities?” said Darellan.  
  
“Not yet but sometimes I let just a little of the wolf or the Dragon out when I’m in bed with Jessamyn, she loves it,” he said.  
  
“You are going to have too one day, not that any of us use our shapeshifting abilities much and it is limited”.   
  
“You’re probably not seeing your half _Chosen_! But we’ll have to have a Howling for the girls, but Sol’s chosen his mate, UrRu blood or not!” said Teloth.  
  
“Sol’s chosen his mate,” said Darellan “I always thought he mightn’t though seeing he is half UrRu like I am,” said Darellan “ but then Nova did marry UrSol, and my dad also married a Gorta-Trellian girl” he grinned then.  
  
Teloth said, “and I got the other sister”.  
  
Darellan advised, “act surprised!”  
  
Teloth said “I knew Solstarin would not take too long after I asked Jess to marry me to ask Liz to marry him, I asked Jess six months ago” he took a sip of his beer as Sol joined them.  
  
Jess suddenly said “he did it, didn’t he?” to Annaliza.  
  
“Do what?’ Anna asked,  
  
“He asked you to marry him silly!” Jessamyn said “Oh Anni! I’m so happy for you!” she hugged her sister.  
  
“Gee, you spoilt our surprise!” Sol complained “, but I did ask Anna to marry me and she said _yes_!”  
  
Teloth shrugged “twins! What else did you expect? I knew Teri was going to marry her husband before she told me and she also knew when I asked Jess; it makes sense though that Teri got married first seeing she is the older twin, and me well I wasn’t sure which side I batted for there for a while” he cracked a peanut “I was a little confused”.  
  
Jess asked, “did you ever, you know have a intimate relationship with a guy?”  
  
Teloth shook his head “no, _thought_ about it yes, came close to it even, but no I never actually did it. There was this guy at the academy I was enamoured with him until I realised the truth behind him, he was heavily into drugs and the like. We went out a  
couple of times but that was about it, it never really got physical, most we did was heavy petting, I broke it off, until I met you Jess I admit to been a little confused about my sexuality, you changed that, turns out I was Pan all along just a bit confused that’s all, congrats Sol. Liz and welcome to the family” he hugged them both “now we’ll have to have a double wedding!”  
  
Darellan shrugged “triple maybe, Syn and I aren’t married yet either remember? Best tell your dad Sol”.  
  
“best huh?” said Sol.   
  
“Tell me what?” UrSol asked when he heard them talking.  
  
“Uh, Dad, I have something to tell you,” Sol said.  
  
UrSol looked at him and Anna with a slightly knowing look and said “I think I know” he smiled.  
  
“ _Damn_ not you too!” Sol groaned “I asked Annaliza to marry me”.  
  
“And she said yes,” UrSol asked “I’m _still_ UrRu remember?” he adjusted his glasses, his eyesight wasn’t the greatest but he had no complaints, even if he was forced to wear glasses most of the time.  
  
“yes,” he said, “she said yes”.  
  
UrSol nodded and hugged Anna “Welcome to the family and the clan,” he said.  
  
Anna surrendered to her future father in laws hug; she had learnt in the last five years that GT men weren’t afraid to show their emotions and that ties between families were strong and she knew that Sol and his father were close, she felt the soft brush of his wings on her arms.  
  
UrSol Snr like all the GT had a large, rather magnificent pair of wings, which were a glossy black and silver echoing his colouring, Sol’s was chestnut with blue banding, UrSol Snr’s was a glossy jet black with some gold and purple feathers.  
  
“Guess you’re stuck with us as well,” UrTih said then with a smile which Anna knew was rare on him!  
  
Sol said, “I’ve always been stuck with you, seeing my dad is one of you and to be honest I wouldn’t have it any other way”.  
  
“Still am,” said UrSol then.   
  
“I’d hug you Anna if I could damn well move! UrTih said “I’m wedged in here until it clears out!” he stood up a little making Liz realise just how tall he was! They were human-sized but much longer and offered out a hand “Congrats Sol!”  
  
“Thanks, Uncle UrTih,” he said shaking the hand.  
  
UrUtt hugged Anna though and said “guess you’re stuck with us too! Seeing we have nowhere else to go” he said.   
  
“I seriously need some shapeshifting abilities!” UrTih grumbled realising that he was probably also a little drunk.  
  
Anna said then “I didn’t realise that you were so big and so tall!” this was aimed at UrTih, she had to admit that she found the UrRu a little strange, a little frightening and didn’t know them that well, but they seemed a kind hearted gentle people, Solstarin knew them better than she did and as to UrSol Snr’s (twin, counterpart, brother _whatever_ he was!) she didn’t know him at all! He frightened her a little much more than the UrRu did as she caught his eye.  
  
Skeksil held up his can “congrats” he said.   
  
“The first of my children to get married,” UrSol said with a smile “seems I might get to dangle a grandchild on my knee after all! In a few years of course!” as he caught Anna’s flush “seriously though congrats Solstarin, about time you two decided to get married! You and your UrRu blood!” he clapped his son on the shoulder “sometimes you are _too_ like me my son!”  
  
Sol said, “I guess”.   
  
“You’re a child of my heart Sol you always have been,” UrSol said “but you need to lead your own life too” he got slightly unsteadily to his feet “Think I’ve had too much to drink!”  
  
“Do you want me to drive you home dad?” Sol asked.  
  
UrSol nodded “you may have to one: I’m on my Permit and two I’m too _intoxicated_ to drive!” he frowned at UrUtt “UrUtt I told you I want only a couple of beers! And I’ve had what? 4 or 5?”  
  
“4,” said UrUtt, “I think”.  
  
UrSol sighed “yeah that sounds right, I don’t have the stamina to drink too much anymore, I was too sick for too long!” he looked at Liz “ I’m a bit drunk” he picked up his walking staff “I need some coffee” and limped off.  
  
Anna said, “is he going to be ok?”  
  
“He’ll be fine,” said UrUtt “he’s just not used to drinking a lot though”.  
  
“It’s just that Sol’s told me how sick he had been,” said Anna.  
  
Sol said, “dad’s fine Anna he’s just drunk a little too much more than he is used to I will go see if he’s ok."


	5. Night out with the Fam- UrSol and Solstarin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UrSol and his Son Solstarin (UrSol's a little drunk)
> 
> Also if you haven't read part One SkekSil and UrSol were both pretty sick a few years back but have since recovered.
> 
> I've always been of the impression that Skeksis do not kill Skeksis! regardless of what Age of Resistance did. I loved Age of Resistance but that was one thing I didn't really agree with. I am probably not the only fan who feels that.

Solstarin left the group and found his father pouring himself a coffee and coughing a little in the smoky air; the coffee was near the smoking area.  
  
“You Ok dad?” he asked.  
  
UrSol looked at him “I just had too much to drink that is all” he indicated the windows “it’s snowing; they say summer is coming, but it sure doesn’t look like it at the moment”.  
  
UrSol continued on obviously a little maudlin “Been torn apart that first time it friggin hurt!” he paused “really hurt! All of us felt it. Losing a twin is bad enough; imagine losing half your soul? And half of yourself, you guys can’t understand, but the bond I have with SkekSil it is like the bond between twins and it hurt when we were torn apart it still does”.  
  
Sol listened silently letting his dad talk, he realised it was because his father was a little drunk, but he had never heard his dad talk about that before so freely, he knew some of it but not all of it and his dad rarely spoke about it and he never pushed seeing it made him sad.  
  
“I didn’t know,” he said.  
  
UrSol shrugged “we don’t talk about it much” he waved it off “I’m drunk _ignore_ me”.   
  
“I didn’t realise it hurt,” said Sol wanting to know more.  
  
UrSol said “oh it hurt! It still does, but it is more of a phantom pain rather than a physical, though, just some of the pain I still bear, I guess what I’m trying to say here Sol don’t let it happen to you, your half UrSkek remember? you favour your mother’s blood rather than you favour mine, but it is there, you have a bond with Anna don’t let anything break it, you aren’t soul-bonded but there is a bond there, don’t make the same mistakes” he sighed “gosh my back is hurting! But that is my fault!”  
  
“Dad, are you sure you’re ok?” Sol asked.  
  
“I’m drunk, can’t imagine how Skeksil must be feeling right now, he is probably also feeling the pain”.  
  
Sol said, “you do have a twin”.   
  
“More than that,” he said “SkekSil is the other part of me, I’m UrSol he is SkekSil, speaking of which he probably wants a coffee by now as well! He’s got a higher tolerance to alcohol than me but not by much, not anymore, I somehow managed to shield him from most of it but he was dying too” he sighed.  
  
“He never seemed as bad as you,” said Sol.  
  
“Because somehow I managed to shield him from it,” he said.  
  
“Why? And how?”  
  
“I got it seemed the bulk of it, which makes sense, seems I somehow managed to shield the other half of my soul, due to my Psionic abilities, I shielded Sil not even realising I had done so! Which caused me to, well never mind, the fact of the matter is he was dying too, he felt my pain, the pain I felt though was bad enough but his was worse, Sil didn’t have that Sil and I are like twins, but we are also so much more, he is the other half of me and always will be” he coughed as he took the coffees.  
  
“When do you want to go home?” Sol asked.  
  
“After the game,” he said, “I’m not sick anymore Sol just a little drunk”.  
  
“I’ll take you home in your car,” said Solstarin “I came with Darellan”.   
  
“I could always just walk,” said UrSol “it’s not that far, _Sil_ did”.   
  
“It’s snowing; we’re in the middle of a war, it is now full dark and dad your pretty defenceless seeing you refuse to carry a weapon”.  
  
“I know how to sing my power is my voice as it is my weapon. Also, I’ve done some martial arts, and well I do have my walking staff,” UrSol said.  
  
Sol smiled and said “no, I’m driving! You _and_ Skeksil!”  
  
“Sil?”  
  
“Well, if _you’re_ drunk so is, he!”  
  
“I’m not that drunk! I’ve just had a little too much to drink” UrSol said “too drunk to drive safely that’s all and I’m still on my Permit anyway but you are right Sil’s tolerance is higher but not by much both of us have too much damage to our systems, very well take us home then” he picked up the cups of coffee and his walking staff, it was new, one of the other UrRu had carved it for him it was a full-sized staff and was beautifully made and carved.  
  
“Thanks,” he said.  
  
Sol nodded “lean on me if you need to Dad”.  
  
“I’m not _that_ drunk!” UrSol said then “I can walk, don’t worry”.  
  
They rejoined their friends, UrSol handed his counterpart his cup of coffee “Black and strong just as you like it” he said.   
  
“Thanks,” said SkekSil “Think I’ve drunk a little too much as well, I walked in, might have to walk back”.  
  
Sol said, “I’ll take you both home” technically seeing SkekSil was his father’s other half made SkekSil his uncle as well and he considered himself his nephew, SkekSil wasn’t so bad once you got to know him, not anymore.  
  
“Thanks,” Sil said, “I don’t have the tolerance I used to it seems”.  
  
“We both don’t,” said UrSol “we were both sick too long”.  
  
“You never struck me as sick as Uncle UrSol though,” Darellan said.  
  
SkekSil said “I was though, I too, was dying inside, your uncle somehow managed to shield me from the worst of it but believe me I was dying too” he wrapped his spaghetti around his fork (his table manners had improved and he had gotten rather refined, they suspected _Queria_ had something to do with that) “five years ago it wasn’t only your uncle who got changed, I did too” he indicated his current appearance “it is why I look more Artean than I do Skeksis these days, we both got transformed!” he stabbed a meatball and ate it as another cheer went up.  
  
“So, who’s winning?” Sol asked.   
  
“Crasolia,” said SkekSil “seems I will win I have a bet riding on them with Ekt it’s hard to tell from here my eyesight’s shot! Can’t see a thing without my glasses!” he adjusted his small thin-rimmed glasses “ _Errgh_ I’m beginning to look like _SkekOk_!You getting sick was what almost killed us both”.   
  
“You've never forgiven me for that have you?” UrSol asked.  
  
“No, I admit I haven’t although you shielded me from the worst of it,” he said.  
  
“Not enough, though,” UrSol said.  
  
“But _why_?” Sil asked, “ **why** shield me?”  
  
UrSol shrugged “it was unconscious, my psionic powers shielded you. You and I were never fully like the others you know; we were UrSkek enough to suffer the same fate, but we weren’t fully like the others! We have never been”.  
  
“Makes sense,” said Sil.  
  
“I’ve never forgiven myself for causing you so much pain, especially seeing it was probably my stupidity in the first place! I’m still sorry I caused you so much pain!!”  
  
“What did you do Uncle UrSol?” Darellan asked.   
  
“What I did doesn’t matter anymore but it was something stupid after our people rejected us and were virtual prisoners on UrSkaa for about 50 years and were given a chance to leave, we took it , got split up again and then we chose to remain as we were!” he sighed “ some of us were old enough to know better.”  
  
UrUtt said "I was one of them".

“As was I,” said Tih “like Sol said several of us were old enough and should have known better!”   
  
“I too, oddly enough,” said Sil.  
“Same here,” said UrSol “UrYa was another, she and her counterpart the two of them are probably the closest of us all, seeing they rely on each other so much to get by, SkekDurn and SkekLi were another”.  
  
SkekSil said “unfortunately the rest of us killed Yi and Ya right away, _long_ story behind that, basically confused fighting broke out “he paused “but that’s not important, although she was always one of my supporters, looking back it was probably fortuitous that she did die right away, she would not have survived otherwise, she’s too gentle, it have killed her otherwise had she survived. SkekUng was always one of the most brutal out of us as I found out! Truth is I’m not surprised if the rumour about him is true; he always lusted after power and was one of the worst out of us all! I can understand him though, but I also know why he and UrIm clash! I clash with him too! And well he hated **_ME_** with a passion! You’re lucky you didn’t know us then, you would not have recognised any of us then, we weren’t evil it seems after all, but we weren’t good either, we are definitely the dark half and we’re all changed considerably in the years since, UrSol is my other half he always will be, that is a link that cannot be broken, he and I are more like brothers now” he frowned and then continued “ let Me deal with Ung if that is true, I have a score to settle with him!”  
  
“Just don’t kill him,” said UrTih.   
  
“I won’t,” said SkekSil “I know I can’t! Skeksis do not _kill_ Skeksis, despite what some people might think or what they have been told!!"  
  
“UrIm’s my friend,” said UrSol.  
  
“Mine too,” said UrTih “he was the one that bloody saved my life when SkekTek took it upon himself to experiment with his own body and cut his limbs off! Not to mention lost an eye! Sometimes I swore he wanted to _kill_ me!!”  
  
Darellan looked at UrTih “you have artificial limbs?”  
  
“One of my arms, a leg and an eye” he confirmed.   
  
“Oh,” said Darellan “I didn’t realise”.   
  
“Can’t tell these days, artificial limbs are very advanced these days, UrIon has too, he was involved in an accident and they couldn’t save the limb,” UrSol said, “put UrAzshar in a chair for a couple of years as well”.  
  
“Is that how he got that limp?”  
  
“No, I told you how that happened in the valley, don’t fall out of the sky UrAzshar we used to tell him until the terrible day he did fall out of the sky and didn’t die, although he did get gravely wounded it should have killed him that fall but didn’t, UrSu sent him to study with Aughra for a few years after that once he was healed enough. No this was a different accident and it left him gravely wounded but due to his magic I’m guessing, he healed it just took a while although it didn’t help his already bad leg, which is not how he got it, he still wears a brace on that leg sometimes”.  
  
“It shows the most when he is stressed out, and that has been a lot lately; he does not like war, which is probably your influence as well, seeing you lot are relatively passive as well” Darellan remarked “but I didn’t know that”.  
  
“We are the UrRu our place is not on the fields of war,” said UrSol “anyone else wants a beer?” he looked at his mug “seeing I have drunk too much already, I might as well have another”.  
  
“Just don’t make yourself sick dad,” said Sol.  
  
“Get me something light, I might as well have one other I’m too drunk to drive anyway so I might as well enjoy it” he grunted, “one more won’t hurt”.


	6. Interlude Chapter- Sol and his Family.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solstarin tells his family his good news.
> 
> Interlude or background chapter-not necessary but is good background fodder for the rest of the characters and their world.

Sol and Anna wandered through the lodge, followed by Jess and Teloth they were all in a good mood, Sol had dropped his father home, and Anna was glowing inside as she admired the beautiful, Star-Sapphire and diamond ring on her finger that Sol had given her as a promise of his love, after five years Sol had finally asked her to marry him.   
  
“We’ll have a double wedding!” Jessa said “you and Sol, Teloth and I, like we always dreamed Anni! Ooh, Anna, this is so exciting!” she hugged her twin “see getting chucked nine hundred years into the future hasn’t worked out so bad! We would have never met two such great guys if we hadn’t been!”  
  
“As I’ve already said, bout bloody time you did Cous!” Darellan said.  
  
“Yeah,” Teloth said “you and your UrRu blood!”  
  
Syndarin, Darellan’s fiancée smiled at the twins “I can’t believe that we are all going to be sisters!” she hugged both sisters “and if Mozi decides to marry her handsome young Knight, that’ll be even better! Welcome to the clan! Now, all we do is plan the weddings”.   
  
“is it the Bride or Grooms responsibility?” Anna asked.   
  
“Both! Syndarin said “weddings are a cause for celebration! Amongst our people as are births, name days, you name it!”  
  
After five years of been involved with two GT males, both sisters had learnt a lot about this beautiful peaceful yet proud people that they had agreed to join their blood with and who had adopted them, more recently they had all been assigned to the same starship, **_The Shunshu_** , commanded by Durnaa’s oldest son, Carillion Midnite and seeing the crew were largely GT as well he ran a very Crasolian influenced ship, so they had learnt even more about this amazing and beautiful alien people.  
  
Anna said, “but three weddings”.  
  
Syndarin chuckled “you're marrying into perhaps one of the richest families in the known galaxy; money is hardly a problem for the Midnites! They are the royal line remember!”  
  
Anna said, “but still....”

  
Syndarin said, “they are the rulers of our clan!”  
  
“Your almost like a real-life Game of Thrones! “Anna remarked.   
  
“I know,” said Syndarin with a chuckle “Durnaa, Nova and Ajeea were Triplet born and two of them had children!”  
  
“Uncle Durnaa would be the Patriarch though” Teloth remarked “my dad may have been Firstborn but Durnaa’s the most powerful Midnite of them all!”  
  
“Our lines are close admittingly but not that badly inbred,” said Darellan then “especially seeing most of us marry within our clan, even Syn’s a member of our clan, she’s a Dragonwing, Dad’s former wife was a Bloodmoon and Windwhisper is the unplanned child of the Highmoon’s as well, although she has been acknowledged”.   
  
“What did happen to your father's first wife?” Jess asked.   
  
“She died,” said Darellan “shortly after Teloth’s younger sister was born, she was always fey”.   
  
“Oh...” Anna said she hadn’t realised that the Gorta-Trellian had that too.   
  
“Dad doesn’t talk about it too much; I think he blames himself it took him years to get over it, they weren’t soulbonded but he did love her so it still hurt,” Teloth said “Teri and I pretty much had to bring up our youngest sister and Lorner our older brother took the throne because Dad wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do so, which is why he is now officially crowned, Dad never really recovered sufficiently, Lorner was always going to get it anyway he was Firstborn, he just got it earlier than expected, Dad named him his successor and handed it over to him, he’d been running it for years anyway. I’m glad Lady Windwhisper came along when she did but that is why there is only four of us, Teri and I are the middle children, Lorner is our older brother and rules the realm, which he was always meant to do anyway and has been for quite some time, Dad ruled as Reagent for a while until he came of age but he never really got back into it, so when he came of age Dad crowned him and dropped his title as Reagent and went to join Durnaa and Lystran permanently in the Gods realm”.  
  
“Why did she die?” Jess asked.  
  
Teloth shrugged “no one knows after Crystal was born, she just died, Crystal never knew her mother” Crystal was their youngest sister, Anna knew she was about the equivalent to sixteen.  
  
“That’s sad,” said Anna.  
  
Teloth nodded yes, it is” Teloth then kissed her “I love you Jessa and I look forward to having you as my Lady, Princess, whatever”.   
  
“Will we be able to have kids, though?” Jess asked figuring if they couldn’t, they could always adopt.  
  
“Yes,” said Teloth “we are fully compatible with each other!”  
  
Sol said, “you not the only one!!”  
  
“You’re still too UrRu!” Teloth teased.  
  
“You are too?” Anna asked she had been wondering that herself whether they could due to his mixed blood.  
  
“Yes, I’m largely Gorta-Trellian, so of course! but like Teloth said we would be able to have children!”  
  
Anna said, “it just sounds weird to hear guys talk about stuff like that though so casually I mean men generally don’t want to know about stuff like that”.  
  
Sol shrugged “ _human_ men! We’re not human; we’re Gorta-Trellian,”.  
  
“I see,” said Jess.   
  
“Soulbonded couples like Syn and I sync when our bond is activated, that is one of the advantages of a Soulbond, but you two aren’t soulbonded, so you will have to rely on your partner to tell you when it is time to try for a child,” Darellan said “we should probably get you both to read up on that though so you understand seeing you are marrying one of us!” as they came to the Common Room.  
  
Darellan said, “you do realise Durnaa, and your Mum probably already know Sol!”  
  
Sol nodded “probably, him and his seeric gift!”  
  
“I have some of it as well,” said Darellan “so if I knew, so will he. Unfortunately, seeric gifts also run in our line as well”.   
  
“So do the UrRu,” said Sol “Dad knew as well or at least suspected he has a bit of Foresight as well”.  
  
They opened the door, behind it was the four people he most wanted to see and Sol was amazed that he had gotten them all together, Durnaa was on his laptop, Nova, Leah (UrSu's wife) and a number of the other woman including Teri, Teloth’s twin sister were all sitting around Scrapbooking and Ajeea was sitting in one of the chairs reading a book, and Azshar was there reading as well Sol had told his father about his engagement but not his mother yet.  
  
Durnaa looked up “looks like Crasolia’s in the Grand Final” he remarked “good game, huh? The opponent will either be Earth or Mars; probability suggests Earth”.   
  
“You said they would,” said Sol.   
  
Durnaa said “I don’t have a gift for Probability for nothing! Crasolia had an excellent team this year! Chances are they will win too if Mars gets in it will be low scoring, if Earth does it’ll be High scoring but Crasolia will win by a few points” he paused “I wanted to join you at the Pub, but I had too much to do!” he groaned.  
  
Sol laughed, he had to admit he loved his Overgod Uncle dearly, but he had to agree with the rest of the family that he worked himself into the ground!  
  
Poor old Durnaa had always been prone to running fevers and stressing himself out and working to the point of making himself ill sometimes! He bore the heaviest burden of them all.  
  
He had never set out to become second Head of the Parthenon, but it was a job he did well regardless.  
  
“We watched it here” Durnaa continued adjusting his glasses “good game”.  
  
Ajeea looked up “have a good time Teloth?”  
  
“yes, dad,” he said.  
  
Ajeea nodded “good” he stood up “coffee anyone?”  
  
“Yes,” Durnaa replied and floated his empty mug over to his brother who caught it (Anna and Jess were still getting used to the casual way the GT used their psionic abilities in everyday life, they took them for granted) then Durnaa looked at Anna and Sol and remarked “welcome to the family Anna”.  
  
“Darn!” Sol cursed “sometimes Uncle Durnaa your seeric gift is downright annoying!”  
  
Durnaa smiled and then said, “try _living_ with it!” he looked at his nephew “you have it too due to your UrRu blood”.  
  
Nova looked up “Sol?” she asked.  
  
Jess couldn’t contain her excitement any longer “Solstarin asked Anna to marry him and she said yes!” she burst out.  
  
Nova said “finally!” she smiled and got up and hugged them both “welcome to the family, does your dad know Sol?”  
  
“Of course, he does!” Azshar said then “UrSol also has the gift of Foresight all of the UrRu _**do**_! Just in varying degrees, UrSol’s no UrZah, but he does have it!”  
  
“yes,” said Sol “he permitted me to marry her; I wanted to ask your permission as well all three of you! Seeing it is tradition, you Are Triplets, I’m glad I got all three of you together” as like his dad, it has also been his mother and her two brothers who had also had considerable influence on his life.   
  
“Gee you didn’t have to ask our permission Solstarin, you’re an adult,” Ajeea said.  
  
“yeah,” Durnaa added.  
  
“I know it’s just that well... it’s tradition. Blame it on my UrRu blood if you want, you know what they are like about such things”.  
  
“Too well” Azshar added quietly.  
  
Ajeea said, “I guess... you and your UrRu blood!”  
  
“You three apart from my father are three of the most important people in my life that’s all,” said Sol “and well, I’m Nova’s oldest son!”  
  
Durnaa said, “he does have a point it is tradition, Sol you have my permission and my blessing to marry Anna”.  
  
“Same here,” said Ajeea.  
  
Nova said, “and why would I say no!” she hugged Anna “seems we have a couple of weddings to plan then! Thought of a date yet?”  
  
“Not yet,” Sol said.  
  
Nova nodded “take your time, you three boys will no doubt want to get married all around the same time, you three have always done everything together! Marriage is a big step for you all” she hugged Sol “So like your father!” ruffling her sons chestnut curls, Solstarin may not resemble his father as much as Trumea did in features, but in a manner, he was one of the most UrRu out of her five children, the other was Tanla who was a Urling!  
  
“Yeah,” Teloth said “his UrRu blood does get in the way sometimes!” he cuffed his cousin playfully, Darellan, Teloth and Solstarin were so close, people often took them for brothers rather than cousins, all close in age together the three of them had grown up and knew each other inside out.  
  
Their triplet born parents were all worried that if something were to happen to one of them how the other two would react, they were all cousins, but they were as close as if they were brothers and they were Oathbound brothers to each other.  
  
They were also all Midnites, UrSol had had no last name when they had gotten married, so he had taken ‘ _Midnite_ ’ as his own and Nova had chosen to keep her name when they had found out UrSol’s as was her right as a woman of Crasolia, even more so because she was of a Royal line.   
  
“Congratulations,” said Durnaa quietly then hugging them both “as I said welcome to the family Anna, guess you’re stuck with us now!”  
  
Anna smiled up into Durnaa’s violet eyes as he had removed his glasses, she could see the kindness and gentleness in his eyes, Durnaa was the wisest of them all.  
  
Durnaa smiled and put his glasses back on and sat down “ _Hmm_ ” he said looking at his computer and took the coffee that Ajeea handed him.  
  
Ajeea spoke then “as my brother said, Anna, welcome to the family” he hugged her and Anna felt it then, the love and acceptance that surround her and Jess, this strange and beautiful alien race had taken her and Jess in and had adopted them.  
  
“Guess you now one of us!” Teloth’s twin Terrani said looking up from her scrapbooking.  
  
Teloth and Terrani were twins and it was obvious, both had the Midnite red hair and the same blue eyes but where it was handsome on him, it was beautiful on her “you ought to see this old photo I found of us Tel! We’re both around six, both naked and covered in mud!”  
  
Teloth groaned “oh no! You’re not going to put that in your album are you, Teri! Are you? How _embarrassing_!” he and his sister were close.   
  
“Yep!” said Teri.   
  
“You two both take way too much after your Dad,” Durnaa said with a chuckle.  
  
Ajeea shrugged “yep their mine alright” he looked at his brother and sister then “if I remember rightly the three of us weren’t much different at six!” he looked at his son and daughter “I remember that your....mother and I spent ages getting the mud out of your hair!” all of them had noticed his slight hesitation when he talked about their mother, even now, years later the pain was still too deep.  
  
Ajeea smiled the slight lines around his eyes crinkled a little “put it in your album, Teri, it’ll make a delightful story to tell the kids,” he said picking up his book again.  
  
“So, what have you all been doing?” Teloth asked.  
  
“Chilling out” Ajeea replied “spending some family time, _the 2nd Head of the Parthenon_ asked for the night off “he smiled at his brother.  
  
Durnaa said, “I had to do that report for Zilna though, but that’s done now, I’m working on our D&D campaign at the moment!”  
  
“I still can’t believe you do that,” said Jess with a chuckle.  
  
Durnaa shrugged “hay! **Even** the 2nd Head of the Parthenon needs a hobby!”  
  
“So, what do you intend to drop on your poor unsuspecting group of adventurers this time?” Ajeea asked.  
  
“That would be telling!” Durnaa said.  
  
“You don’t play?” Jess asked.  
  
“Not lately I have spent the last four years on Earth fighting the war,” said Ajeea “as one of Lystran’s Chosen and his Prime and at Durnaa’s insistence and orders”.  
  
“You're his Prime, not just his Chosen” Durnaa corrected “you're his General as Nova’s is Dalzea’s.”  
  
“What’s a Prime?” Anna asked.  
  
Durnaa looked up and then at her thoughtfully and then replied “A God chooses a mortal to become more than just their Chosen; the term used for said mortal is _Prime_. The God infuses them with a measure of their power so they can also act as Avatar if necessary, they're known then as a Prime, the mortal effectively becomes a Demi-God, and not all of us have one, Ajeea is Lystran’s Prime, Nova is Dalzea’s” he explained, “Chosen are already Ascended mortals, but Primes are so much more, but there can be only one Prime per God”.  
  
“So, who’s yours?” Jess asked “ _Azshar_? Or don’t you have one?”  
  
“I’m not Durnaa’s Prime,” Az said softly "I'm just his Aide and one of his Chosen".  
  
“Oh, I have one and it is **NOT** Azshar despite what everyone thinks! I wasn’t going to make Az my Prime as I feel his people will need him soon and thus, I never did, it leaves him the freedom to do that” said Durnaa “he is a Chosen though, no my Prime is where I want him to be and where he _needs_ to be.”  
  
“Another Midnite?”  
  
Durnaa shrugged “yes well, he is a son of one of our line we’re just not sure who! Much like Azshar is. He is either the child of one of our father’s siblings or one of our grandfathers.”  
  
“I thought it was Az or at least Dareela, seeing she’s the one who built that beautiful temple for you in Dragonreach,” Jess said.   
  
“Dareela is one of my Chosen and my Daughter, but she is not my Prime” Durnaa said, “she is quite contented to remain so in that role”.  
  
“And I’m Durnaa’s Aide, but not his Prime I never wanted to be and besides, I don’t think I could be due to my heritage,” Azshar said.  
  
Durnaa said, “you couldn’t be anyway Az due to that…your more UrSkek than you are Gorta-Trellian”.  
  
“It makes sense,” Azshar said I never wanted to be your Prime anyway I’m too…. _damaged_ ”.  
  
“I mean we all live or serve on your son’s ship the Shunshu,” Anna said, “your son, he and you are total opposites!” this was said to Durnaa who shrugged.  
  
Azshar laughed and then he shrugged “my son Darellan is the most like me, Dareela is not Durnaa’s Prime either, everyone forgets that she is _his_ daughter, not **mine**!”.  
  
Anna said “it is times like this we are reminded that you are a God, Durnaa! When you talk about stuff like that”.  
  
Durnaa said “ I’m more than just a God! I'm second head of the Parthenon!”  
  
“You are the patriarch of your clan, aren’t you?” Anna asked.  
  
“Technically it should be Ajeea, seeing he was Firstborn but no it would be me,” said Durnaa.  
  
“Of course, it is you Brother!” Ajeea said, “you’re the most powerful one of us all!”  
  
Durnaa said, “it still should have been you. I never set out to be!”  
  
“No, you didn’t but you do it well,” said Ajeea “you bear the heaviest burden of us all, you didn’t ask for this, but you got it, everyone knew that you were slated for a special destiny that neither Nova or I could fulfil, I was just King of the Realm and I even didn’t do that so well, you were always meant for so much more”.  
  
Nova said “yeah”.   
  
“It still should have been you,” Durnaa said to Ajeea “you’re the eldest!”  
  
Ajeea shook his head “no, it was always meant to be you! Durnaa you were always Nova’s and I’s rock, our strength, and our conscience, you never realised it, you still don’t, but without you, Nova and I would not have survived as well as we did, when Shae  
died it was you I came to remember? When UrSol was so sick it was you Nova came too, Durnaa you always been our strength, our rock you are the strongest of us all, no it was always meant to be you! you were the one Izon feared so much that he exiled us all over! No Durnaa it has always been you! Durnaa you were the one who bought us all back together and made us all the stronger for it! You are where you are MEANT to be!” he hugged his twin “you’re the true Midnite here and you’re the hero! **YOU’RE** the rightful heir to our clan and line it is just that none of us realised it was so until it was too late, you the least of all, you are a true Midnite, you’re our father's rightful heir! Not me! You are more like our father than any of us realised save our parents! You’re the rightful heir to the Midnite clan! Durnaa you always have been! You’re the strongest, the wisest and the most powerful of us all!”  
  
“But you’re the oldest though!” Durnaa protested “you were Firstborn!”  
  
“By what? 15 minutes! I was Firstborn yes, but it is you though who the true heir is! It’s always been you!”  
  
“I guess,” said Durnaa with a yawn he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples and closed his eyes after removing his glasses.  
  
Nova looked at him, concerned “Durnaa?”  
  
“I got a headache,” Durnaa said, “don’t worry about me Nova!”  
  
Ajeea said “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Wind and I got pregnant now! The way she and I have been going at it lately! Truth is, Wind wants it!!,” Ajeea continued, “you can’t tell me, Nova, that you and UrSol haven’t been taking advantage of it!”  
  
Nova flushed then felt Durnaa’s forehead “you’re running a slight fever little Bro, not much it is probably what is causing the headache, take some painkillers, drink the tonic I made us all and get some sleep! I’m ordering you to do this both as your Doctor and your sister!”  
  
Durnaa said “Ok, but you know me, too sensitive for my own good!”  
  
“You’re also a Jedai,” Nova said, “and going through the Changes!”  
  
“But we are all doing that!” said Durnaa “Even Az!” Az flushed at that.  
  
“I don’t understand that….” Az said, “I’m only well at the most Half Gorta-Trellian if that! why am I feeling it too!”  
  
“Because Moonie is,” said Nova.  
  
Ajeea said “go to bed Durnaa! I’m lucky that Wind and I aren’t soulbonded, but Azshar and Moonie are! As is UrSol and Nova”.  
  
Nova nodded “if I’m feeling the Burn so is UrSol, the poor guy I had to explain what it was, his UrRu blood isn’t shielding him from this!”  
  
Durnaa said yes, he’s a little embarrassed about it actually” he got another coffee”.  
  
Nova said, “he mentioned that he had been talking to you”.   
  
“We ran into each other on the way to the shops,” Durnaa said.  
  
Nova remembered what he had told her “he said something about a child, and I asked him if he was talking to you and not Ajeea”.   
  
“He was talking to me,” Durnaa said with a shrug, "he said he would like to have another one, I told him not to give up hope that’s all! and it has happened, our sister Newstar was such a one, the chance is lowered but not impossible, not yet, in a couple of years, yes, but not now, Nova you may get your twins yet!”  
  
Nova said, “Durnaa, you don’t make statements like that for no reason!”  
  
Durnaa yawned “I just told him not to give up hope that’s all!”  
  
“Your seen something!” Nova said, “you see a child!”  
  
Durnaa sighed “seriously guys I don’t always see something when I say stuff like that! The probability is high, that is all, mainly because you both want it too!” he trailed off “I just told him not give up hope I haven’t seen anything! And if it does happen, does it matter anyway? You and UrSol want another baby that is obvious, I can’t blame you both feeling that way, especially UrSol! He would have been at his weakest when Tanla was conceived which is why he went so downhill from there until he got reborn, he’s  
effectively half GT now but the UrSkek is still there, as it is with Azshar. Like I said the probability is high that’s all and as for you Ajeea, if you want a child with Wind, you are going to have to do it soon. But it does make sense!”  
  
“How about you?” said Nova to Az “if the probability is high for us it would be for you too, you could try for one with Moonie".  
  
Azshar said “no we have four already that is enough, no Moonie and I made that decision when Dartalian was born and we’re taken precautions, so it won’t happen and besides that tea also works on males “he sighed.  
  
Nova touched his shoulder out of all of them it had been Azshar who had lost a child, Ajeea had lost his first wife, but not a child and she had not lost one either, Azshar and Moonlight had lost one babe, a son, Moonie has miscarried once between Azshar’s twin girls and Dartalian.  
  
Neither he nor Moonie spoke about it much, but she knew it had affected them both and Azshar blamed himself and his mixed blood for its loss, it was why the two of them had decided that Dartalian was it.  
  
Durnaa said then “I’m taking your advice, night all” he took his leave of them.  
  
Ajeea said, “he’ll be fine Nova you know how sensitive he is”.  
  
“He always has been,” Nova said “Durnaa was one of the reasons I became a Doctor” Nova was a qualified MD a path her eldest daughter Mozellia had chosen as well.  
  
Ajeea said “I’m closer to him than even you are! We are identical twins he is just _really_ stressed”.  
  
Nova looked at her Triplet brother he was right as Durnaa’s identical twin, Ajeea did have a bond with his brother that she could not share, the three of them were close due to been Triplets that nothing could break, but the bond that she had with both Ajeea and Durnaa was nothing compared to the bond between Durnaa and Ajeea.  
  
Ajeea was his brother's mirror image, and there were times when it was more obvious than normal, Ajeea was right-handed, Durnaa left, Ajeea was the right-side twin, Durnaa the left and this was one of those times as he hugged her “Nova don’t worry about Durnaa, let me do that! I’m his identical twin!” he smiled so similarly to his brother.  
  
Nova said “I guess” Durnaa didn’t even have to tell him what was wrong, it had always been that way, Ajeea or Durnaa knowing when something had happened to one of them before anyone else did.  
  
Ajeea shared the same mutation as Durnaa did, the twin hearts, formed out of a single egg, Ajeea and Durnaa would always be a part of each other, it was something Nova could never share as she was their third and Az understood more than she did, seeing he had a counterpart whom he seemed to have lost and strangely enough _survived_ the loss.  
  
He hugged her again, knowing how much his medically trained sister would worry about her brother “I’ll check on him before I go to bed and make sure he gets some sleep!”  
  
Nova said, “you look a lot like Durnaa at the moment”.  
  
Ajeea said “of course I look like Durnaa! I’m his identical twin! We also mirror twins! So, of course, I look like him it be a bit odd if I didn’t!”  
  
“No, I didn’t mean it as that” Nova said softly.  
  
Ajeea said, “I’m off to bed myself I will read a little and see if Wind wants to play a bit, don’t worry I will take my tonic” he turned and walked out without the slight limp that Durnaa had, Ajeea didn’t have it, that was one of the things people used to tell the brothers apart, and the fact that Durnaa was left-handed and Ajeea right.  
  



	7. Intimacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** M rated Chapter**
> 
> Romantic moment between UrSol (in humanoid form) and Nova

A few moments later Nova turned the lights off and went to her room, she and UrSol had one of the family rooms as did Azshar and Ajeea; it had a double bed and bunk beds and a single with a door separating them, Durnaa had one of the single rooms oddly enough he had never gotten married although he was in a relationship with the Goddess Medelina and had three children with her.

She expected to find UrSol asleep, but he was lying stretched out full length on his side of the double bed, naked save for his wings and reading.

Nova went to check the kids and UrSol said: “no need, all asleep although I think Crystal is peeved that she has to share with her little brother and sister.”

Crystal or to give her, her Gorta-Trellian name Lysania was their middle child aged equivalent sixteen “she’s not here anyway she’s sleeping over with Azshar’s girls, so it is just the two little ones who are both asleep, although Trumea fell asleep over his play station, he’s alright now, I put him to bed”.

Nova said “thanks”. 

“They're my kids too,” he said, “you were busy we have a wedding to plan”.

Nova smiled at her husband, UrSol’s eyes weren’t great, he could see but had to wear glasses permanently which changed into sunglasses in bright lights as his eyes were highly light sensitive , or else it would leave him dizzy, dazed and weakened or temporarily blinded, he wasn’t legally blind but he wore prescription sunglasses outside, he was wearing his glasses at the moment, his green eyes shining in the light, his eyes had always been that colour a deep, dark green, it just hadn’t been so obvious before, now it was.

“I thought you were asleep,” she said.

UrSol said “I’m afraid I’m a little bit drunk my love” he shrugged “I drunk a little too much” he smiled slightly.

Nova sat on the bed beside him “you want some tea or something?”

“No,” he said, “I was reading, hoping it would put me to sleep like it sometimes does, Solstarin bought me home I was a little bit too intoxicated to drive”.

Nova started to get ready for bed, it was cold out but UrSol had turned the heater on and it was warm and cosy in the room.

UrSol sat up and said “my back hurts” he went to put on his PJ’s.

“No, don’t,” Nova said, “stay like that!”

“Huh?” he asked. 

“Don’t get dressed” she pulled off her underthing’s and stood before him “I know how to put you to sleep”.

UrSol said, “I’m a bit drunk. I can’t guarantee anything”. 

“let me lead than,” she said putting him onto his back.

UrSol shrugged and hummed a little to put up a sound barrier he had learnt how to use his musical talent in other ways over the last five years and teased her a little with his tail.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked, “I’m a little drunk”.

“Not too drunk,” she said.

UrSol said, “Ok...although”.

Nova chuckled “shut up honey!” she kissed him.

UrSol kissed her back and said telepathically **Ok ** he had to admit he had learnt to enjoy lovemaking over the last few years, Nova had had to teach him though and he’d done a bit of reading and asked his brothers in law on the subject.

He removed his glasses and said “Ok, let’s see if we can get me going, I’m a bit drunk though and I know that doesn’t usually work...”

Nova said fondly “you and your UrRu blood! And restraint” she leaned over him letting her long hair brush his chest teasing him, and he teased her with hand and mouth, “see not so drunk!” and gently teased him “we need to work a bit “. 

“Would it help if I hummed?” he asked then, “Gah! I’m so clumsy! I have been married to you for years; you’d think I know how to make love to you by now!”

Nova said, “you haven’t always had a body like this one, you do now” she ran a hand along the scar on his arm, he had never told her how he had gotten that scar but Skeksil had one like it, the same shape and everything, “see not so drunk!”

UrSol said “I’m er a little embarrassed!” he put his arms around her and drew her down with a strength he hadn’t had for years! “come here Leshardi!” he smiled then “you’re right, maybe not so drunk after all!”.

Nova said “Now! That more like it!” he started to hum a little as she started, he claimed that he heard music deep within him sometimes, and sometimes she swore she could hear it too, but she was amazed at what he could do with his music, he had gotten  
himself some proper training as a Spellsinger and was now a full Spellsinger as a result, and he had learnt he could do so much more with it than make music. 

“Ok” she coached him “Take it slow, you are a bit drunk so it will take a while, but go as slow as you like, this is also an advantageous position to conceive as well and regardless of what Durnaa says there may be a child for us”. 

“I’d like that,” he said, “I think we both would” as Nova started to stroke his ridges on his back, all adult GT had them and they were sensitive, he started to stroke hers as well wrapping his wings around her, their wings were also used in lovemaking as well as their tails, they weren’t prehensile for nothing!

Nova laughed as their soulbond activated and he started to glow again, his tattoos shining, and she swore she could hear the music he spoke so often of that he both heard and felt inside himself, his golden-green eyes glinted with the intensity.

“Guess I am a Wolfsong then, or at least have the fraction of one,” he said, “err this is going to sound weird; I want to howl and run-in wolf form!”

Nova kissed him “we can do that later, we’re of the same clan remember? I can transform into a wolf too, just haven’t done it for a while though, and you never have!”

UrSol said “err yeah I forgot about little ability I now have So this is what Teloth means when he says he lets the Wolf out occasionally, say Nova mind if I do that?”

“Go ahead,” she said.

“Oh yeah!” he said “Mmm that feels so good!” he leaned back a bit so she could have better access “Ooh yes! Ayoorah!” his eyes had gone fully gold now, a hint of what he used to be.

Nova said “this time it will work! Hang in there, howl if you need to”.

UrSol said “Ayoorah!” he growled again, lower this time in content “your right seems I wasn’t so drunk after all!” he started to hum again, “I feel the power of my UrSkek , that music has never left me” he started to hum although this time it got more powerful, Nova felt the alien music surround them both and he started to glow a little.

“You just need the right tip-off,” she said her own eyes glowing a soft violet fire that Durnaa’s sometimes got “that feels so good!” she stroked his chest and letting her wolf out just a little, they weren’t werewolves or even proper Shifters but all GT could take the shape of the animal of their clan if they had one and even if they didn’t they could still take the shape of one, it was limited but it was there, UrSol had the talent to do so as well now.

Nova leaned down and ran her fingers across his chest making him groan in pleasure.

“Harder,” she said then.

UrSol said “I think I’m as good as I can be! I’m a little drunk remember, which is why it took a while, mind you, I never thought it would feel so good! And so right! I must have been ready!”

Nova said, “you were lying on the bed naked waiting for me so course you were!”

UrSol said “I was, wasn’t I?” he kissed her and said, “you are my wife”.

Nova said, “oh you are ready alright!” and let go, he glowed his tattoos glowing, and they both made noises of pleasure for a moment, and within moments her and UrSol were both breathing heavily from their lovemaking, but they both felt relieved and pleasured.

“Oh, that felt so good!” she said smiling languidly.

He nodded “yeah seems I wasn’t so drunk after all the truth is, I feel energised now”.

“You're coughing though,” she said.

“Just exertion,” he said, “give me a few moments though.” 

Nova grinned and said “so you want to go try this shapeshifting thing? Our sexual energy will probably help”.

“Grrr,” he said, kissing her “now I feel like I could go all night! But I’m probably a bit boozy”.

She said, “we’re going to pay for it tomorrow”.

He kissed her “who cares! Ok, let’s see if we can get this wolf thing going, I probably need to learn how anyway”.

“Ok,” she said, “follow me!”

“Shouldn’t we put some clothes on first?” he asked.

“Nope we won’t need them,” she said. 

“Oh ok,” he said, “makes sense”.

“OK,” said Nova as she and UrSol stood together on the front veranda of the lodge a few moments later, Nova felt warm inside, and she wondered if they had managed to conceive this time or at least come close to it if they had she would know soon, she still felt warm, and she wanted him back there, she wanted him to make love to her all night and she could tell from his expression he was feeling the same.

“Dam!” UrSol muttered “Is that normal?”

Nova said, “I feel the same, we both kind of well, oversexed at the moment”.

UrSol nodded “yeah”, this is embarrassing! It would not take me long to get me going again”.

“Nor I, so let’s get this done and soon!” she touched him. 

“At least I don’t seem to be drunk anymore! Got a nice buzz going here but not drunk, feels good, it’s been too long” he wrapped his wings around himself “look it’s a full moon!”

“You weren’t that drunk anyway!” she said moving closer to him and leaned up against him and felt herself start to get aroused again and him too “I want to be One again, I want you again,” she said they both wanted that she knew, he could feel it too, judging by his reaction when she leaned up against him. 

“Ok show me how to shapeshift or else I’m going to have to take you here and now,” he said gruffly his eyes glowing golden again in the moonlight, his eyes had always been a deep, dark green, but it showed more due to his heightened emotions at the moment, she had seen the UrSkeks but she still found it hard to relate them to her husband even though he had told her that was what they originally looked like.

“And I wouldn’t protest,” she said, “OK I haven’t done this for a while myself either, so I’ll try to help, ok feel the wolf inside you and let it out”.

UrSol nodded then frowned “you sure I can do it? The full ability, I’m not Gorta-Trellian, not really, I’m UrSkek and half of one at that!”.

“You felt it,” she said, “I can see it in you”.

“Kinda hard to concentrate with you standing naked against me when I’m still as aroused as you are! And we both smell of Love” he ran a hand down her body “Like I said if we don’t do this soon, I’m going to take you here, now, and damn my UrRu sensibilities to hell!” he continued “all I can think of now is you!” he kissed her, Gods! He loved this woman! She was everything to him! Feeling her warm, soft form against him “damn this isn’t going to work!” he groaned.

“Ok take a deep breath, remember what you felt while we were making love” she coached, if they didn’t do this soon, they wouldn’t be able to, she groaned in pleasure slightly and said “let it out! It may hurt a little as your body shifts for the first time”.

“Can’t be any worse than the pain I have already endured, got torn in two remember!” he removed his hand “Ok let the wolf out, picture it” he removed his glasses so his vision blurred, and then he felt it, he let the feeling wash over him, his vision blurred and he felt dizzy and there was some pain over his entire body but he could handle it he’d felt worse he stiffened and took a deep breath and gave himself over to the feeling and the pain, he was used to pain he had had more than his share of it over the years, this was nothing compared to been torn in half! 

Humming to himself, he let it take him the pain wasn’t so bad. He had worse, and then he was on all fours, he could feel his limbs changing, reshaping themselves, the ground stopped shifting and he looked at Nova who smiled and clapped her hands.  
“You did it!” she said, “I knew you could!”

“It worked?” he said, “I’m a wolf then?”

“Yes, and a very handsome one too! You’re big and black with silver streaks and golden eyes” she said, “you’re beautiful!”

“This does indeed feel a little strange but not as much I thought it would be, how come I’m so big!”

“You're a Dire Wolf, UrSol, Crasolian wolves are Dire wolves,” she said, “wait a moment I’ll join you!” she blurred, and a smaller, sleeker reddish she-wolf stood there with violet eyes and wings. 

“You’re still got your beautiful violet eyes,” he said it was one of the things he loved about her, Crystal their middle child had her mother’s distinctive violet eyes, Solstarin’s were blue, Mozi’s were green, Trumea’s were brown almost black and Tanla’s were golden, but Crystal had her mother’s eyes.

Eyes, Nova shared with her brothers Ajeea and Durnaa, as Durnaa and Ajeea often said to find Nova all they had to was look, for a female them, their shared looks that were so striking on her twin brothers were beautiful on her, Nova resembled her brothers closely, she was shorter than they but not by much and had very feminine curves and her hair was longer, but sometimes from the back and if dressed similarly, it was hard to tell them apart from a distance.

“It echoes your colouring” she explained, “although for some reason if in dragon form, we’re black with purple and red spikes, it is hard to tell Durnaa from Ajeea in their shapeshifted forms, and I look like them, only female.”

UrSol said “not exactly like them; you’re beautiful! Although I admit I even have trouble telling them apart sometimes” he then said “we have wings “realising he still had his. 

“Yep, Crasolian wolves do, the wings are part of who we are as a planet”.

“I’m surprised we can still fly!”

“Yes, we can,” she said, “that is why we are so big and so are they”. 

“I still can’t fly properly in my GT form, let alone this one!” he said, “you’re almost as big as I! And currently, in Heat, I can tell!”

“So are you,” she said, nuzzling him. 

“Gah this is going to be the death of me I swear!” he said, “you’re my mate,” he said playfully nipping at her “I can smell it!” he looked around.

Nova came up to him “UrSol calm your breathing”.

UrSol nodded and did so.

She said, “say want to run and howl at the moon?”

“Ok,” he said starting to walk “I’m not so sure about the running part though, I’m in the best shape I have been for centuries but I’m not perfect! There was too much lasting damage and all I want to do now is make love to you! Err can we do that?”  
“What you think,” she said, “Ok follow me, let the wolf loose your body will follow”.

She started at a fast walk, he followed amazed at the strength he could feel coursing through him, he was not a young wolf he knew that, but he was healthy he knew that he just had bad eyesight, so he relied on his other senses, he’d been doing that for years.

Nova went into a light slow lope, letting him get used to his new form.

“How come I can do this?” he asked. 

“It’s part of the gift” she said.

“Oh,” he said, “and stop teasing me with your scent its distracting!”

“I can’t help it,” she said as they walked through the light dusting of snow, it would be gone within 24 hours but right now it was snowing although neither of them felt it too much now.

“I feel all warm inside,” said Nova “we may have done it or come close to it, or I’m ready too”. 

“Huh?” UrSol said.

“Conceive,” Nova said “I’m fertile I think, you still want that baby? Cause it might be a good night to try for that baby!”

“Even though I was drunk?” he asked “I aren’t now.... although” he looked at the moon and sat on his haunches, groaning a little at the pain in his back he was going to suffer for this in the morning and took a deep breath and let out a full-throated howl using the power of his voice behind it, it felt good to howl!

Nova joined him, and they got a shock when they were answered from close by.

“Gosh!” UrSol said, “what the...?”

“Gallandros probably,” Nova said, “or Gooltah, Gallandros often hunts in wolf form for blood as he claims it’s more for the thrill of it in him then the Dhampir”.

“Ah yeah, makes sense he does need blood,” said UrSol.

“Can’t say I’m used to not been out here alone on my hunts?” said a voice behind them.

They spun around as a large white wolf with red eyes materialised out of the snow behind them, also male, powerful-looking and easily as large as themselves only without the wings.

“Gallandros!” UrSol said recognising the Australian accent. 

“UrSol!” Gallandros said “Hmm you are taking advantage of been reborn, again aren’t you? And Durnaa, no you’re a female! Nova?”

“Hello, Gallan,” she said. 

“How’d you know it was me?” he asked. 

“Your Australian accent gives you away,” she said.

“Damn my Aussie accent! I needed some blood, what’s your excuse?” although he could guess, both were smelling of arousal.

“Teaching UrSol to Shapeshift” she replied, “how you know it was me?”

“Same way you did, the accent and your eyes” he indicated her eyes “can’t mistake those burning violet eyes, which is why I thought you were your brother at first, then realised you were female, guess Durnaa and Ajeea look a bit like you”.

“Only bigger and male,” Nova said, “we do look alike”.

UrSol growled slightly and stood protectively near Nova, surprised at his reaction, Gallandros growled back and said “yes your mates all right! Most Un-UrRu of you UrSol!” he chuckled “don’t worry, I have my mate!”

UrSol said “sorry I don’t know what came over me and made me do that Gallan”.

Gallan said, “your male, she’s your mate, and you’re not UrRu at the moment and she’s in Heat”.

“Err how you can tell,” he asked.

“I smell it in the blood,” said Gallan “Dhampir remember? she is fertile , enjoy” he indicated the lake “be careful though, I swore I saw something move down there when I was hunting down there, I’m heading back I’ve had my fill it’s why my eyes are red and my mate is waiting for me and she’ll want me too to share some with her, be thankful that you aren’t both Dhampir as well, full moons have an effect of us as well” so saying he let out another howl and ran off and vanished.

Nova said, “He scares me sometimes he’s as powerful as Durnaa is in his way, Durnaa’s met his match in Gallandros!”

UrSol nodded “he is one powerful Dhampir one of the oldest out there!”

Nova nipped at him playfully as they loped along towards the lake, UrSol followed her growling playfully, and they rolled around together for a bit then found a secluded place.

Then UrSol suddenly said “Hang the foreplay! And dam my UrRu sensibilities to hell!”.


	8. Intimacy Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Mature Themes**  
> UrSol (in humanoid form) and Nova again, (as you can guess I love these two together!) relaxing and then they realise that something is wrong with the Lake

Once they had assumed their shapes, they lay next to each other, spent, contented and naked, he started to cough from the exertion and said “Wow! That was something else!” he hummed slightly and put a heat dome up around them, and Nova stroked his back.   
  
“You ok?” she asked.   
  
“Yes,” he gasped “give me a few seconds” and took a deep breath and breathed out.  
  
Nova said, “We shouldn’t have pushed so hard”.  
  
He said, “I’ll be fine” he shivered and pulled his wings around himself and waited for the shaking to subside, which was more of the effect of the shapechanging then anything else, he sighed and said, “I’m sorry if I hurt you, Nova”.  
  
Nova said, “and no you didn’t hurt me, your too gentle to ever hurt me, but I wanted you to be hard it was good, it worked too.”  
  
UrSol said, “so that how it feels!”  
  
“We just have to hope now that it quickened properly,” Nova said, “our bodies are going through the Changes so it mightn’t catch properly”.  
  
UrSol said “no I think it worked” he smiled at her.   
  
“Same here,” she said.   
  
“Have you ever done anything like that though?” he asked.  
  
“Nope,” Nova said, “if we have it’ll be due around Christmas next year”.  
  
UrSol nodded “Ok I hope so, we’re running out of time” he stood up and walked around a bit, getting used to be back in his humanoid form, he stretched his arms and his wings, the light caught the scar on his arm “we’re both going to pay for this tomorrow, me especially!” he sighed "I've fully recovered from been sick and you start going through the changes just my luck,but I guess that is what happens when I marry an alien! I swear Sil and I have the _**worse**_ luck!!! "  
  
Nova said, “it's ok we already have five beautiful children!”  
  
UrSol said “I know but I want another!” he touched her belly “you think?”  
  
She nodded “I felt it quicken but like I said my body is going through The Changes”.  
  
“I felt it too,” he said, Nova noticed his eyes had gone back to their usual green.  
  
His eyes weren’t brown; they were just dark, deep green.  
  
He kissed her “I think it worked, I’m UrRu too remember and I have some foresight on my own, I’m not UrZah but...”  
  
Nova said, “I hope so, we are running out of time”.  
  
UrSol nodded “yes you're spent too, I’m sorry if I hurt you though, it overruled my sense”.  
  
Nova said, “you didn’t you could never hurt me it is not in your nature, but you took the lead and I like it”.  
  
UrSol nodded “I’m used to you taking the lead, it is a hard habit to break”.  
  
“I like it when you take the lead,” she said.  
  
He stroked her cheek with his hand “I shall endeavour to do it a bit more often than” he kissed her “I’m sorry if I hurt you though”.  
  
“You can’t hurt me, you are too gentle a soul,” she said.  
  
UrSol said “I’m UrRu! “ he sighed and still maintaining the heat shield washed his hands and face in the lake and then frowned the lake was briny not quite salt not quite fresh but it still shouldn’t be so warm, especially with the snow, but it felt warm, he frowned remembering Gallandros’s words.  
  
“What’s wrong,” she asked.   
  
“Something is odd about the lake,” he said, “the water is warm”.  
  
“What?”  
  
“The water is warm almost hot,” he said, “it is like it is boiling under the surface; something is _very_ wrong!”  
  
Nova said “ _seriously_!”  
  
“Yes,” he said.  
  
Nova said “it’s snowing! Unless that is normal to Aristas during its winter phase”.  
  
“Exactly it should be colder,” he said. He hummed a little trying to detect something but got nothing out of the ordinary about the lake been warm rather than cold.  
  
Nova said, “what’s wrong?”  
  
“I can’t tell,” he said, “I should have bought some clothes I’m freezing!”  
  
Nova said “here” and handed him his coat the one UrUtt had made for him it was like a long overcoat altered to suit his now sometimes humanoid form, but it had the characteristic UrRu spirals on it and UrUtt’s distinctive mark of design.  
  
“How,” he asked pulling it on.   
  
“Prime Chosen remember?” she said, “you should be able to do it too”.  
  
UrSol adjusted it, he was still naked underneath but at least now most of him was covered, he had well and truly spent himself and to put it crudely. “I’m still tender it seems,” he said.  
  
Nova smiled “so am I, I’m a little sore as well, we did it hard”.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I don’t know what came over me”.   
  
She said, “ you were fertile and seeing you were a little drunk your inhabitations were down. Also, I am going through the changes so there be more like that before it’s over”.  
  
“But if you’re pregnant?”  
  
Nova said, “ we won’t know for sure for a couple of weeks I wanted it hard, and we’ll both do it like that a bit more before this is over, the Changes it does that well at least at first”.  
  
“Oh,” said UrSol “I’m a little embarrassed about all this, which is why I was talking to Durnaa about it in the first place!”  
  
Nova said “it’ll settle down, but we’re both a little um…at the moment and it is not just you and I, feel better” she asked then.  
  
“yes” he sighed “we really can’t keep our hands off each can we?”  
  
Nova then said “the water is weird” she looked at him “UrSol you and I could not do anything more tonight even if we tried, we’re spent ourselves”.   
  
He said “I should take my true form and meditate or something. Or go compose some very emotional music!”  
  
“No, we've burnt out for the moment,” she said, “it is the only way to cure yourself of it that works temporarily”.   
  
“Having wild sex?”  
  
“Yes,” said Nova.   
  
“That explains it,” he said adjusting his glasses, Nova had gotten them for him too as well as his walking staff.  
  
“Nova is it my eyes or is that lake pulsing in the middle? UrSol asked “my eyesight’s shot at night; it is why I try not to drive at night, my eyesight is shot”.  
  
Nova opened the robe slightly so he could get behind her, they were spent but the energy was still there, most people didn’t notice it but the UrRu were tall and they were long.   
  
He was no longer so long but he had not lost all of his height in his shapeshifted form.  
  
He was tall, and slender yet well built like most GT now with long legs he wrapped his wings around her taking comfort from each other.  
  
“Your eyes aren’t deceiving you,” she said, “it is pulsing”.  
  
UrSol nodded and said, “ We should go out and have a look” he stepped back and opened his wings which he had in humanoid form now, and lifted himself into the air, he wasn’t that good a flyer but he could fly.  
  
Nova pulled her robe closed and took off after him, her red and purple wings lit by the moonlight. UrSol’s were mainly black with purple and gold streaks like a raven; they echoed their colouration.   
  
Nova had red hair and violet eyes so hers were reddish, her two brothers also had the same coloured wings.  
  
Nova joined him as he circled “I think something’s down there” he said, “it’s too dark to see what it is though, is the lake volcanic by any chance? As there is a lot of heat rising off it, my eyesight may be crap but I can see heat signatures as we all can”.   
  
“No,” she said, “not that I know of”.   
  
“Something is down there and it is causing a lot of heat,” he said, “you felt the water?” he hovered in the air and said, “you smell that?”  
  
“Smell what?”  
  
“Sulphur,” he said, “it reminds me of the same smell that the scorpions had on their base on Sirius, it can remember the smell, it is like they are digging into the lake”.  
  
“Scorpions?” she asked, “or T’ron?”  
  
“It could be either of them,” he said, “we have to warn Durnaa” he flew around again “I can feel the earth”.  
  
“You can, can’t you?” she asked.   
  
“I’m UrRu, one of the powers we retained was that of Natural wizards, I may look Gorta-Trellian now, sometimes, but I still have that magic, and I always will” he hummed slightly “, yet I can’t pick anything up, something is there though”.  
  
Nova said, “it is too late to do anything about it, _Leshardi_.”  
  
“I agree we also aren’t properly prepared” his eyes had gained a soft golden glow probably from using his magic over the last years UrSol had learnt to use his musical abilities to their full potential.  
  
  
“We’ll warn Durnaa and come investigate then,” said Nova taking his hand “we’re both tired”.   
  
“Yeah,” he said stroking her bare breast with his hand “we are” awed at the energy between them, they were both spent, but it was still there he kissed her “come let’s go back".  
  
“Ok,” she said as they went back.


	9. The Morning after.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Mature themes**
> 
> The Next morning and UrSol has a hangover!
> 
> **Note some of the references to the Scorpionoid Base are part of an old story that I wrote but have since lost. **

Concord Sports and Rec Camp- Aristas- 1st October 2949

A quiet knock on their door the next morning awoke them, UrSol groaned and said, “go away it’s too early!” he was snuggled into Nova still inside her having fallen asleep that way.  
  
“It’s not,” Durnaa’s voice said, “I let you both sleep in, but there is something you need to see, you all need to see!”  
  
“You can come in Durnaa,” Nova said.  
  
“You two ok,” Durnaa asked he opened the door and peered in, Nova and UrSol were lying in bed together snuggled into each other, UrSol wondered how much he knew, he had said to Nova that he hadn’t married her brothers, but he knew that Durnaa and Ajeea shared a close bond with their sister, it was the way of the GT, and despite everything Durnaa was still GT, they were telepathic as a race so ties between siblings were close especially if they were of multiple births.   
  
“Yep, just sore, we overdid it a bit I think” he replied.  
  
Durnaa nodded “fair enough; your residual energies can be used to soothe each other,” he said, “you should be able to use that to heal or hasn’t Nova shown you how?” he asked, “you two must have lit up the sky last night in a manner of speaking, no wonder you’re tired and sore”.  
  
“Did you get some sleep?” Nova asked her brother.   
  
“Yes,” he said “took me a while but yes, you think you're getting it hard try been a Greater power with a heightened libido, you have limits! I don’t seem to! May I?”  
  
“Yes,” said Nova.  
  
Durnaa entered the room he was fully dressed “here have some of my power” he took their hands and shared some of his power so they could use it to soothe.  
  
UrSol said, “you are _powerful_ ”.  
  
“Greater Power,” said Durnaa “that should be enough use it to soothe yourselves, and when you’re feeling up to it come and join me outside, I ordered you some breakfast to be bought up”.  
  
UrSol said, “Nova taught me to shapeshift have you done it in Wolf form.”  
  
“You **did** it in Wolf form? Durnaa asked, amazed “But no I can’t say that I have, No wonder you're both sore! hope it was worthwhile” he paused “ok when you both feel up to it join me outside, don’t worry Sol Jnr took the kids down for breakfast, they had pancakes and porridge today as it’s snowing, it’ll probably be gone by tomorrow, but it’s snowing” he glanced at them with an impish smile on his face, looking more like Ajeea than Durnaa briefly “ _Snow day_!” he grew serious again “, but that is not what I want you to see!” then he walked out closing the door behind him.  
  
“How much does he know?” UrSol asked.  
  
“Not about the baby,” said Nova.  
  
“Baby?”  
  
“Yes, I’m pregnant!” she said hugging him “it quickened properly”.   
  
“Oh!” UrSol said “I can feel it! I can feel the life within you” he stroked her belly ‘let’s keep it our secret for as long as we can, now I feel like a dad”.  
  
“He’ll know soon enough though” Nova warned “it is annoying to have a seer for a brother at times! It’ll come around Christmas next year”.

“A Christmas baby,” said UrSol “the kids will love that!” he kissed her again, relishing in her smell, her nearness and her feel “we both need a bath though!” he stood up, shakily as he was a little wobbly “ _Whoa_!” he said leaning on the bed head “ ** _Waah!_** That hurts!”  
  
Nova sat up and asked, “you alright?”  
  
“I think I have a hangover, been a long while since I had one of those, forgot how annoying it could be, can you get a hangover from too much sex?” he asked.  
  
Nova said, “beer and sex” she kissed him “bad mix”.  
  
UrSol said “yes, well at least it worked! Here let me feel!” he put a hand on her belly where her womb would be and concentrated, smiling as he felt the life coursing through her it was a faint spark, but it was there and like he had known five years ago with a city falling apart around him, and three frightened Gorta-Trellian children hanging onto him, he knew within himself he was now truly where he wanted to be and to belong to this beautiful race he had admired for so long! he felt the balance was finally corrected within himself.  
  
“Twins,” he said, “boy and girl”.   
  
“But it’s too early to tell!” Nova protested.  
  
“Twins” UrSol repeated “yours and mine” he kissed her and hugged her.  
  
“How can you tell?” she asked.   
  
“I’m UrSkek too, remember? I’m still UrRu! All of us have a touch of foresight I’m not UrZah but yes, I do have it, we all do! I still have an UrSkek soul I’m UrRu as it is part of my blood I always will be”.  
  
“Twins?’ she said.  
  
“Yes, boy and girl,” he said, "you’re carrying twins, two eggs not one”.  
  
Nova said “it is also in the family, so the chance is almost a guarantee, I’m a Triplet and one of my triplet siblings has had twins of their own, So I finally get my twins! I’m so happy!”  
  
UrSol said, “seems your brother was right”.   
  
“Durnaa doesn’t say stuff like that for no reason,” Nova said “his visions almost always come true even if he doesn’t realise it is a prediction or a vision at the time, he says it! That is why I asked you _which_ brother you were talking too! He doesn’t know about the baby yet, but he will and soon, Durnaa’s always been a seer”.  
  
UrSol frowned and then said, “I remember Azshar saying something like that on Thra, he asked us if this is what we genuinely wanted because it would cause us a lot of pain, none of us took much stock at the time he said it, he wasn’t originally one of us after all.... although he was a student of mine” he trailed off “well that is a story for another day, we both need a shower” and with that enigmatic comment, UrSol picked up his staff and shower things and left the room whistling a little.   
  
“ ** _One day_** ” Nova swore to herself “I will get you to tell me your whole story UrSol Midnite! And yes, we did want it, “she touched her belly “ **my** twins,” she said softly “took you long enough little ones until it was almost too late in fact!”

A few moments later, washed and dressed they joined Durnaa on the veranda, UrSol complaining about his sore head, his glasses at their darkest due to the snow glare, his eyes were extremely sensitive to light at the moment, the Letosia that had given him a heart attack which had nearly killed both him and Skeksil, in the end, the Skeksis knew as well as the UrRu they couldn’t kill each other.  
  
“UrSol?” Durnaa asked his brother-in-law.  
  
“My head _hurts_ ” he complained “can you get a hangover from too much sex?”  
  
“Mixed with beer,” Durnaa said, “yes”.  
  
“I wasn’t even that _drunk_!” UrSol groaned sitting down.  
  
Durnaa handed him a cup of tea “this should help; I also got you some breakfast sent up”.  
  
Nova said, “thank you”.  
  
Durnaa nodded and looked up from his paper “you feel what is known as Afterburn, it can be worse than the Burn, you two must have set the night on fire last night! It is just as well Nova doesn’t have the Pyrokinetic power that Ajeea and I do!” he indicated the tea “help yourselves I made it for us all”.  
  
Nova said “thank you how about you? Are you ok?”  
  
“I have a minor migraine but that is it,” he said, “I’m stressed, you know what I’m like when I’m stressed, I’m feeling weighed down from everything!” he sighed and continued “I’m too sensitive for my good at times! And this was the last thing I needed with the war and everything else! Our bodies are reminding us all that we were once mortal!”  
  
“How’s Ajeea” Nova asked, knowing that her and UrSol’s actions last night would not only affect one of her brothers but both!  
  
“He’s ok, or seems to be at least, “said Durnaa “he, Azshar, Wind and Moonie took the kids down for breakfast along with Solstarin. You two wore yourself out; it is why you are feeling off. Also, you have a hangover UrSol” he smiled and then continued “I looked it up, what to expect and all because I didn’t know much either we are in for a rough ride of it, all of us, it is harder for us because of our links to each other, UrSol I’m sorry you’re in for that ride right along with us! You and **Your** Counterpart! We are going to have to help each other through this, including Sil!”  
  
“Crap yeah I _forgot_ about Sil,” UrSol said with a cough “he is going to be so **mad** at me! Figures though, but gee it felt good!”  
  
Durnaa smiled “I can imagine, excuse me for being crude! It must have been one helluva of a Night! But it wasn’t only you and Nova it was Medelina and me too, it is good I’ve learnt some control over my powers over the years or else I would have blown the place up! I have **WAY** too much power! Even toned down as I’m when I walk the mortal realms, you guys must have made fireworks last night in the matter of speaking! Honestly, last night if that was the chance to get pregnant, you’re probably done it!”  
  
 ** _So_** , he didn’t know about the baby yet, UrSol thought but as Nova said he soon would, they knew it because they were the parents and Nova wasn’t Durnaa’s twin, that was Ajeea, and Nova had told him that they all knew how to shield each other from one another if they had too.  
  
“How much do you know?” UrSol asked.  
  
“About what you did last night?” Durnaa asked “not a lot; I only know what you did! Look it’s like this, Nova, Ajeea and I will always be bonded, that is something none of us can change, but we have never shared a partner or anything like that, we are Triplet born, our bond is deep, but _Ajeea_ is my twin not Nova, she is our third, we weren’t all formed out of the same egg, Ajeea and I were, but Nova wasn’t, Ajeea and I are mirror twins. I don’t know how to explain it fully and I don’t think anyone ever has done so to you properly, but it didn’t matter at first, it does now, you are soul bonded to my triplet sister thus that makes you linked to us, but you _didn’t_ marry us, you _married_ Nova! And we have all learnt to shield ourselves from each other if necessary. We’re done so since birth, you have to especially if you are of both sexes, or it causes problems, you will always be linked to us, but we know when to give you your privacy and we both did last night” he explained.   
  
“Basically, what he is saying _Leshardi_ is that I’m his triplet sister not his twin, Durnaa and Ajeea share a bond even I can’t share!” Nova said.  
  
“Yeah,” said Durnaa “I would know if Ajeea got Wind pregnant so to speak but I wouldn’t know if you got Nova pregnant until it was more apparent”.  
  
“So, did he?” UrSol asked.   
  
“Nope, not yet, he’s trying hard though, so it will be soon, they both want it to happen as much as you two do but doing it like that!” he grinned then cheekily “I should suggest that to him, Wind is of our clan as well, maybe Medelina and I should try that sometimes just for the experience we aren’t trying for a child and we can’t anyway”.  
  
UrSol blushed “yeah it was”.   
  
“You’re the _last_ one I’d expect to do something as wild as that! _UrSol_!” Durnaa chuckled and clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder “most _Un-UrRu_ of you UrSol! Ooh! Wouldn’t _UrZah_ love to hear that?”  
  
“Please don’t tell him, he has enough trouble as it is accepting me for who I’m now,” UrSol said.  
  
“I won’t, but can you imagine his face!” Durnaa laughed “ _you did what! UrSol?_....” he imitated UrZah’s voice so perfectly it made them all burst out laughing.   
  
Durnaa even had tears running down his face and UrSol started to cough as he choked, Nova patted his back and a few things moved around on their own accord.  
  
“ _Whoa_!” Durnaa said “er that was my fault! I do have _way_ too much power and the damn Changes aren’t helping!” he bought his TK powers under control and started to laugh again “oh **Gods**!”  
  
Nova stopped laughing and said, “you ok?”  
  
“Yes,” said UrSol.   
  
“I will be,” said Durnaa “high emotion, mixed with Greater Power, powers and the Changes! Bad mix! But can you imagine Master UrZah’s face?”  
  
“Yes, I can,” said Nova.  
  
UrSol said, “ _should_ you tease him like that?”  
  
Durnaa smiled and said “ I'm not one of you and he’s too stuffy as it is at times, he needs to loosen up like I said it is lucky it was you and Nova who did that and not me and Mede last night, you saw what happened then, with my hormones going haywire so are my powers and I can control them pretty much properly now, I would have blown up the place had it been me,” he said, “but gee it felt good to laugh!”  
  
UrSol said “ _you blew up plodge twelve_!” he said with a smile.  
Durnaa said “no it was more like _I klew up Plodge Kwelve_! And that was **_Az_** not me, although I suspect it was more **_Durn_** ….” he said dropping into the speech pattern he had had for so long and knew exactly what event UrSol was referring to “yes, I still do have that speech impediment I have just learnt again how not to let it show, as it is, I still do stutter a bit when I get stressed or emotional”.   
  
“Why though?” UrSol said.  
  
Durnaa said “I’m also around 40% deaf UrSol, sometimes I don’t hear things properly. That was because of it and I was so shattered in everything mind, body and soul “.   
  
“You seem fine now,” said UrSol.  
  
Durnaa nodded “I know, but part of it was my own doing though I put it on, it was easy to hide behind it”.   
  
“You used to do it when you were young,” Nova said, “but dad took it upon himself to get it fixed”.  
  
“Exactly,” said Durnaa “like I said I Klill lave it” he grinned putting it on “it was due to my deafness I was born deaf well at least partially, and yes it was _**Durn**_ who blow up Plodge Kwelve wasn’t It?”  
  
“Yes, he did, UrSu was most annoyed about it,” said UrSol.   
  
“Only because he was the one staying in it!” said Durnaa “probably why Durn or Az accidentally blew it up!” he turned to UrSol “don’t change too much UrSol I like you the way you are” he hugged his brother-in-Law and friend “promise me that!”  
  
“I’ll try not to,” said UrSol unsure how to take Durnaa’s hug.  
  
Durnaa said “although making love like that is most Un-UrRu like! How it feel?”  
  
UrSol said “I’m a little embarrassed actually to talk about it, basically let’s just say I threw my UrRu sensibilities out of the window and took her as an Alpha male wolf and did it hard and I’m now paying for it and let’s leave it at that shall we?” he sighed “but gee it felt good!”  
  
“Yeah, it did,” said Nova “it felt really good!”  
  
Durnaa said ‘ **ouch**! No wonder you're both spent, as I said the feeling you are feeling is known as Afterburn, you weren’t the only ones I’m also spent and that explains my migraine” he smiled and sat down “we felt it too, Mede and I and well we also well and truly made love as well, not as bad as you did though _obviously_ ”.  
  
Nova said, “you want to show us something”.  
  
Durnaa nodded “the lake there is something wrong with it we need to get a team together to go investigate, they aren’t Bom-Booms but there was a base here remember under the ground with the enemy, and well the scorpions did live in a base underground on Sirius”.  
  
UrSol nodded and stroked her cheek “we saw the Lake ourselves, but it was too late to tell you”.  
  
Durnaa said “it probably wasn’t like I said Mede and me, we were awake for a while last night, we made love till it hurt! It cured the Burn and I have a minor case of what you both have today” he sighed “I _hate_ this; my mind is so _distracted_ at the moment!”  
  
UrSol nodded “true so is mine I’m finding it hard to concentrate but yes I do remember the Scorpionoid city, the smell is the same and the adventure we had to get there”.  
  
Durnaa nodded “which is why I want to talk to Ajeea about getting a team together to go investigate when we can”.  
  
Nova said, “Ok, UrSol says that the ground is hurting”.   
  
“I didn’t exactly say that I just said I could feel it, the Earth” UrSol said, “I’m not an Adept, but I’m UrRu and I can feel it, our people as you well know are Druidic”.  
  
Durnaa nodded “yes!"  
  
UrSol said, “it seems we will always be friends”.   
  
“But you are one of us as well,” said Durnaa “so it is time I added you both to ‘ _my chosen Defenders_ ’ as well”.   
  
“UrTih would like some shapeshifting abilities,” said UrSol.  
  
Durnaa smiled “I’ll see what I can do” he promised.  
  
“Seriously?” UrSol said.  
  
Durnaa nodded “Yes, I will talk to Dalzy or someone and sees what I can do”.  
  
“Oh,” said UrSol, “I told him he was dreaming”.  
  
Durnaa said, “I’m a God, I’m the second head of the Parthenon. I will see what I can do.”  
  
“Gosh,” said UrSol.   
  
“I’ll see if there is any way to grant it,” said Durnaa “they have also been my friends and it is time they got rewarded”.   
  
UrSol said “poor Tih's feeling miffed”.  
  
Durnaa laughed “I can imagine! I will see if I can rectify that for him, maybe we can give him base Gorta-Trellian shapeshifting powers or something, him and Kalitha”.   
  
“Kalitha?”  
  
“Well, it’s hardly fair, he loves her, and you know how hard it is to find a female of your race, especially the departed form of the race you belong half too? You guys are like the dwarves in that regard and I swear you guys are stranger than the Dorenganza! Are probably worse!” Durnaa said “two of my best friends are UrSkek! but I still don’t understand you!”  
  
“Az has always been half GT though,” UrSol said, "Az did get separated as well”.  
  
Durnaa said “you are like Ion now” he poured some more tea “Az has always said you and the Skeksis weren’t punished, you were freed, the UrSkeks for all their wisdom and knowledge had committed the greatest folly of them all when they sent you all into permanent exile. They gave you all free will, the power to choose, the power to be individuals, which ironically is kind of what got you in trouble in the first place! And in doing so, you and the others like you, like Kalitha, Sharleah, and Lyaa, UrLii’’s wife, the UrSkek’s had made you even more dangerous” he chuckled “I wonder whether they have realised what they have done? Probably not, there is a disadvantage to them been the way they are it is why there is Neutrality, why there is the _balance_ ; you lot realised that too late! You lot weren’t evil but nor were you fully Neutral”.  
  
UrSol said, “we went about it the wrong way it seems, we should have listened to Azshar!”  
  
Durnaa nodded “Azshar did warn you, remember? Even if he didn’t realise it at the time, the seeric gift isn’t always clear, as I said once, you can never fully learn to control the seeric gift, but you can learn not to let it control you. Az probably matches Master UrZah in that regard”.  
  
UrSol said, “yeah, well”.


	10. SkekTek and SkekLi Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two of the other Skeksis, SkekTek the Scientist and SkekLi the Satirist, return from where they have been for some years and bring some disturbing news with them.
> 
> I have also always thought of SkekLi the Satirist as female, due to their UrSkek name LiLii which sounds more feminine to me, so my version of SkekLi the Satirist is female, it is sometimes hard to tell that she is, but she sees herself as female. It is her Counterpart UrLii the Storyteller who is a little confused!

Suddenly Skeksil came up yawning and said “morning!” he frowned at his counterpart “what the **hell** did you do last night!”  
  
“Err hi,” said Nova.  
  
Skeksil said, “hello, say that tea you're drinking any good for a hangover?”  
  
Durnaa said, “morning Sil you're probably feeling what is known as _Afterburn_ ; you’re in for the same ride as Sol, err sorry about that, this should help”.  
  
Skeksil said “Gads been partially Crasolian now is a pain in the arse!” he took a cup “thanks” he glared at UrSol “what the hell did you and Nova **do** last night!”  
  
“Um...”Ursol said, “overdid it a bit I think”.   
  
“More than a bit,” Durnaa said with a smirk.  
  
Skeksil sat down “Queria says hi, think I wore her out! Probably got her pregnant too, if she wasn’t already, which is a possibility she craves figs when she’s pregnant”.  
  
“Oh?” said Durnaa.  
  
Skeksil shrugged “you _weren’t_ the only one reborn Sol” he took a sip of his tea and made a face but drunk it “Arh yes, Tek’s here, as is SkekLi, but they’re both come from Telgris via redeye at apparently at some risk. I put them in Lodge 13, and moved Lyaa and Sybella, they have something they need to tell us, they’re on their way up thought I warn you before they got here, especially seeing neither of them has seen you yet UrSol, they were stunned at the change in me, I told them to wait to they saw **you**!”

“Err thanks,” said UrSol, he and Sil were more like twin brothers these days than anything else, fraternal twin brothers granted and as different as night and day but brothers none the less, UrSol was the wiser and quieter one whereas Skeksil as always was the more dominant one.

Durnaa looked sad “poor Az he has missed his counterpart these last few years, none of us knows what’s happened to him”.  
  
Skeksil nodded than continued “how long do we have to put up with these um... _Changes_?” he asked Durnaa.   
  
“As long as it takes,” Durnaa said.  
  
“Ok!”  
  
“Yes,” said Durnaa “we’re all in the preliminary stages it’ll be a while”.  
  
Skeksil said “Ok”.   
  
“It won’t always be this bad though” Durnaa reassured him “and you will probably feel it less, but I’m sorry that you and Sol have been drawn into it as well, but Sol did marry my triplet sister and got reborn”.  
  
Sil nodded “fair enough, Sol and I have been through worse, haven’t we?”  
  
“Yes,” he replied.  
  
Durnaa watched this exchange in silence; it seemed that Sil and Sol had learnt even to love one another or at least become fond of each other, mind you SilSol had always been different according to Azshar and Skeksil had been too.  
  
Skeksil said “much worse, arh there they are!” he waved as two other Skeksis came up the path.  
  
SkekTek was as Durnaa remembered him, thin as always but he also had an improved appearance and SkekLi who Durnaa didn’t know so well looked tired and a bit frazzled.  
  
“Hello,” said Durnaa, “SkekTek, SkekLi”.   
  
“Crap, I forgot that you ** _weren’t_** one of us!” skekTek remarked “Durnaa right?”  
  
“Yes,” said Durnaa “and that is not surprising we have not seen each other for years”.  
  
SkekLi more used to Durnaa said “we got some news and we both came here at some risk to ourselves do you know how UrLii and Lyaa are? And their daughter?” (she was female, but it was hard to tell).  
  
“They're fine, you can talk to them later, they’re here,” said the dark-haired GT man wearing dark glasses sitting next to Durnaa and with Durnaa’s sister Nova; said, “UrLii thought you had gone turncoat on him and was rather distressed at the thought”.  
  
“Who are you?” SkekTek asked his voice seemed familiar, so was the aura.   
  
“I was sent to spy,” said SkekLi “so I did” she smoothed her clothes down and then her hair, she was always dressed immaculately, refusing to let go, she had been one of the few who had, she felt a little uncomfortable as she’d been wearing the robes she was wearing for a few days now, she also looked frazzled “I _need_ a bath” she commented, “Telgris, T’ron and the Scorps have occupied it”.  
  
“But it’s a colony! and is also a Penal Colony” said Durnaa.   
  
“Only some of it these days a lot of people who were sent there to do their sentence, the former convicts, have lived out their sentence and have become colonists. The Skeksis rule the planet as its overlords, guess that was expected of us to do so I guess, but we have learnt the lessons from the past,” said she “if I hadn’t loved Earth so much, I would join them I still might, and I have built quite an admiration for the people of Telgris”.   
  
“Kind of like Australia,” said Durnaa “nicely done but you say you are occupied?”  
  
“Yes,” she said “look regardless of what the rest of the universe thinks of Hellbore as it is known throughout the universe, I have lived there for some years undercover and have learnt that the Helluvians as they call themselves that there is more to them then what meets the eye. They are no longer just a penal colony, it is no longer a full one, but they are now occupied and have been for some years, they took it up themselves the free folk of the planet to stand up for it and fight, I have learnt to respect them”.  
  
SkekTek nodded “she’s right; I have gotten myself a life on the world! I’ve gotten a job at the university, being one of the Court we all are that, and I have even married an Artean female! She was sent there for thievery” he said “look _I’m_ on your side! Although SkekZok and Ung may have thrown their lot in with the enemy I’m not sure, lust for power both, and Zok was always a sanctimonious fool! Ung is helping to design Warships although I have the designs here, forwarded to me by Skekso and Zok’s acting as war advisor”.   
  
“And Skekso?” Durnaa asked.   
  
“He’s on our side!” said SkekLi “not sure how much I trust him anymore but he’s on our side, I can give you some information I’ve been spying on them as well, it is why I haven’t contacted my counterpart to do so I had to place myself in a position of trust”.  
  
“I too,” said SkekTek “as I said I have the designs of their ships with me, which is why we came here at such risk! If they find out that the pair of us are both spies....”   
  
“Gosh!” said the dark-haired man beside Durnaa again “so we can rely on SkekSo?”  
  
“Yes,” said SkekLi “we can, he and his son were the ones who got us off the planet to get to you guys!”  
  
“UrSu will want to know that,” he said, getting to his feet.   
  
“SkekSo’s placing himself at risk too, the other two and the T’ron trust him and think he is with them,” said Tek “I don’t think the UrSkeks realise how dangerous they have made us all! With that farce of a trial, they put us through, look I know full well my Counterpart thinks I’m a maniac and he has the right to think that, but believe me **I’m** on your side! I should talk to him and try to make amends” he sighed “look into my aura, I know you lot can all do that if you must to believe me”.  
  
UrSol said, “you speak true Tek, I can see it and so will the others”.  
  
“Who are you?” said Tek “you seem....” he gasped in sudden insight “UrSol is _that_ you!”  
  
“Yes, it’s him,” said Skeksil “as I said, you thought I had changed! He’s topped us both!”  
  
“It is I,” said UrSol “long story but like Sil I got reborn, I learnt to Shapeshift".  
  
  
“You’re a Gorta-Trellian!” said SkekTek amazed at the change wrought in Sils other half.   
  
“No, I can Shapeshift, just like Azshar can” corrected UrSol “I’m still UrRu”.   
  
“Worse luck!” Sil muttered.   
  
“You always were strange” SkekTek remarked.  
  
SkekLi chuckled and said “UrLii told me about that! I also know if it weren’t for that both you and Sil would be dead, yes I have gotten his letters it has just been too dangerous to answer them and I so want to meet my niece!” she came over “although seeing it is quite a surprise, you look good UrSol”.  
  
UrSol said, “I feel good apart from my hangover, but that’s my fault”.   
  
“Join the club” skekSil muttered.  
  
skekTek asked “so how did that happen?” he looked at both Sil and Sol.   
  
“Long story,” skekSil said.  
  
Durnaa said then “So Zok and Ung have possibly turned, that is disturbing news, this will make it harder” he sighed “it would have to be Zah’s and UrIm’s counterparts wouldn’t it? Two of the strongest amongst you, UrSu, however, will want to know that he can rely on SkekSo”.  
  
Ung was always one of the most brutal” said Li “I’m not surprised really”.   
  
“The promise of power,” said Tek “he was always power-hungry”.  
  
Durnaa said, “just know this if Zok and Ung do not give me a reason to pardon them, justice will be served!” Durnaa’s eyes glowed slightly “believe me you do not want to see me in Justicar mode”.   
  
“What would you do?” Tek asked.   
  
“I will not kill them if that is what you are worried about, I know I can’t,” said Durnaa “but justice will be served!” he sighed “ _Argh_! I’m not made for this!” he continued then “I will give them a fair trial, but Justice will be served, but that is the risk of free will, the UrSkeks made you dangerous by letting you go”.  
  
SkekLi said, “Durnaa I will stand by your whatever decision you make, Ung and Zok have surprised us all by their apparent betrayal”.   
  
“Me too,” said Tek “although I will find it hard to stand with you against one whom I once called a friend; I was a dedicated supporter of Ung as Sil will tell you”.   
  
“Ung and I have a score to settle,” Sil said, “but that is between him and me”.  
  
Li said, “I always supported you Sil; I would have after SkekSo died if I had still been there, and it would have been you on the throne not Ung, you would have been my choice, you were _Chamberlain_ for goodness sake!”  
  
Sil shrugged “true but that is all in the past and quite frankly we have all changed too much, no my issues with Ung goes deeper than that”.  
  
Sil said “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” he said to UrSol.   
  
“We are not who were,” UrSol said, “I never hated you, not really, I’m part of you, we just ignored each other, but now we have a choice and the ability to act”.  
  
Durnaa said “if they get in my way, they will feel my justice, “he said, “We got to tell UrSu this though and that we can rely on SkekSo, whom I know still has strong influence with many of you”.   
  
“he does,” said Tek “he’s still our leader, to most of us, as is Chamberlain as well”.  
  
Durnaa nodded “UrSu is still Master of the UrRu, SoSu was born to lead, no matter how much he denies it, I denied it myself for many years then I realised it was in my blood as well, and well I’m a Head of the Crasolian Parthenon”.  
  
Tek nodded “yes Skekso said the same thing; he is in as much surprise of Ung’s and Zok’s betrayal as we are”.  
  
Durnaa said, “I admit to having a grudging admiration for skekSo, even if I don’t like him, I still don’t but I do respect him, UrSu is my friend not skekSo but I’m glad we can rely on him too”.  
  
skekSil nodded “yes”.  
  
Durnaa said, “ok thanks, rest now I will go tell UrSu, especially you SkekLi, you look a mess!”  
  
“I’ll just get a wash,” she said “and I want to see my Counterpart and my niece” she smoothed her hair down, “we’ll be right Durnajar(pronouncing it properly), but I do need a shower and some clean clothes, you do realise I always respected you as well” then turned and walked away.  
  
Durnaa said to Tek “Tek I’m glad you are on our side although you are going to have a tough time convincing the rest, especially your Counterpart!”  
  
“UrTih and I, we’ll never be friends, but we also no longer hate each other, “said Skektek, “he thinks I’m a maniac and compared to him I probably am, he will see that I speak the truth, as to us and the UrRu I’m not sure how we feel about each other anymore, we have ignored each other for so long until we realised, we _needed_ each other! It is probably part of the reason Zok and Ung have done what they did; promise me you will be merciful Durnaa”.  
  
“I will be,” Durnaa said, “I’m not vengeful, and I’m probably too good to be in the position I’m in, so yes I will be merciful, but justice will be served **if** they get in my way!”  
  
skekTek nodded “I understand, and I know you do too, you know for a time SkekDurn and I, we were friends” he paused “I hope Az and I can be again someday, especially seeing none of us knows what _happened_ to Durn”.  
  
Durnaa nodded “maybe you can be one day, but it feels right, he is with UrTih”.  
  
Tek said “he always was interested in science; he was so young when we met, it is a shame that I betrayed him as I did, I fell into darkness, he never fully did” he continued “it was I who betrayed him, not the other way around”.  
  
Durnaa said, “he was?”  
  
“Yes,” he said, “Durnazshar was a student of mine there for a while, probably why he’s remained good friends with my Counterpart and me with his until I betrayed them both...”  
  
UrSol said then “it’s true he was even after the Separation he was often found in UrTih’s company when he wasn’t wandering which he did a lot.”  
  
Sil said “I remember that too” he looked at Tek “Ung isn’t going to take your desertion of him lightly”.  
  
Tek nodded “I know but it is the right thing to do”.  
  
Durnaa said “the Skeksis have never been evil! I have seen **_real_** evil and you aren’t it! You fell into darkness yes and easier into it than the UrRu did, but you've never really been evil! You’re _UrSkeks_! If anything, you were Neutral! Like the Darkside Dorenganza in many ways, you aren’t evil anymore, you have all changed too much and come full circle” he stood up “this war will bring you together again, the way you were _meant_ to be! And I need to talk to UrTih”.   
  
“Pardon?” UrSol asked.   
  
“It just occurred to me that I don’t need to ask the other Gods on offering UrTih the gift of Shapeshifting, **I** can do that! And it is within my power to do so; I’m 2nd Head of the damn Parthenon for goodness sake! I can do what I want! Excuse me!”  
  
“You can do that?” UrSol asked, “give him that power?”  
  
“Yes, I can!” said Durnaa “and not just him! If he agrees to it!”  
  
“But having the power to do that....”   
  
“I can give him basic shapeshifting powers, the ones all GT have as part of their racial abilities!” Durnaa said “excuse me” and he vanished.   
  
“Can he just do that?” Tek asked.   
  
“He can!” said UrSol.  
  
“Durnaa is a God, isn’t he?” skekTek said “and a powerful one!” he looked thoughtfully at skekSil “I wonder...?”  
  
“What?’ skekSil asked eating some grapes.   
  
“If he gives my Counterpart the ability to shapeshift, does that mean I get them too?” skekTek said.  
  
skekSil shrugged “when he was reborn” he indicated UrSol “so was I, so probably, we are still linked after all and that is not something any of us can free ourselves of, mores the pity!”  
  
skekTek said then “my wife Lailai is Artean , she would like it too if I could be”.  
  
SkekSil said “I’m like UrSol, Artean can pass as one of us if they cover their feathers”.  
  
“You have more feathers too now I noticed,” said Tek “you try to hide them but I noticed them, mind you when I first met Lailai my wife, I thought she was one of us, then realised that she was Artean, she was sentenced to Telgris for thievery and had to work her sentence off at the University which I help build by the way in my lab, we fell in love, and when she worked her sentence off, we married”.  
  
“I have them down my shoulders, and my back,” skekSil said.  
  
Tek said “ _Hmm_. But can Durnaa do that though?”  
  
“Apparently, so,” UrSol said, “he forgets just how powerful a God he is!”  
  
Nova said softly then “he does


	11. Durnaa and UrTih

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Durnaa and UrTih

“UrTih,” said Durnaa, catching up to the UrRu Alchemist “I need to talk to you “.

UrTih slowed down and waited for Durnaa to catch up to him “that sounds ominous” he remarked.

Durnaa said, “not really although I want you to come with us when we investigate what is in the lake”.

“Me!” said UrTih “I’ll slow you down!”

Durnaa said, “no you won’t you have never slowed us down, although bring some of that Bug Zapper, you've been working on, we will need it, seeing you're gotten it to work and have been using it on Earth”.

UrTih said, “it still causes dizziness, nausea and nose bleeds though I warn you, but yes we have been using it on Earth, UrZah doesn’t like it though, he still claims it is more the nature of the Skeksis, but seeing it is His Counterpart who seems to have gone turncoat I don’t think he can say much anymore!”

Durnaa said, “that is the risk of free will, the UrSkeks didn’t punish you guys they gave you all the ability to act, including the UrRu and, have made you all the more dangerous in doing so!”

UrTih nodded “they did indeed, gave us back our individuality and the right to choose our path, yes I will bring some of the ‘Bug Zapper’ as you coined it”.

“You have it in guns, don’t you?”

He nodded “yes Tek and I discussed and designed them, and we also made globes that can be thrown of the stuff, I don’t get on that great with my other side, but we are allies and we do exchange ideas often, and I will never forgive him for what he did to me and the races of Thra, but we no longer hate each other”.

“Teks on our side,” Durnaa said.

“I know,” he said “That took me with some surprise! But I guess I shouldn’t have judged him so harshly although I thought he would side with Ung and Zok if push came to shove not Sil!”

I swear I never understood the factions between the Skeksis! “Durnaa said.

“I could never figure it out either!” UrTih said.

Durnaa continued “it’s complicated "he shrugged and smiled “but that is not why I wanted to talk to you, or for your Bug Zapper. I want you to come with us”.

“Why me though? wouldn’t Tek be more suited?” UrTih asked, “I’m slow and awkward and I’m also UrRu, he’s big but not as slow or as clumsy or awkward and besides he’s a Skeksis!”.

“I still don’t fully trust him,” Durnaa said, “and besides UrSol would want you to come”.

“I’ll just slow you down,” he said.

“I can help you there,” Durnaa said, “I do have the power to do that”.

UrTih said “Durnaa I....”

Durnaa said, “UrSol told me you wished for some shapeshifting powers?”

“He told you about that did he?” UrTih said with a faint smile “I was a little drunk at the time when I said it”.

“Do you still wish it?” Durnaa asked.

“It was dreaming, be handy though,” said UrTih then he remembered who he was talking too “isn’t it?”

Durnaa continued “I’m going to give you and your beloved a gift, give me your hand” UrTih thoroughly mystified offered out one of his non-artificial limbs “what gift?”

Durnaa said, “I’m going to grant your wish, give you the basic ability to shapeshift that all Gorta-Trellian have as part of their racial abilities, we’re limited Shapeshifters as you know, so I’m giving you and Kalitha the gift, the ability to shift into humanoid form and one aniform, and seeing I’m giving it to you it will either be a Dragon or a wolf, probably a wolf, as a noble I can shift into both, but you are not so it will be one or the other, Dragon or wolf and the ability to take a more humanoid form, your default form is the one you were born into , but what you choose to be is your choice though and before you do choose, talk to Kalitha first and find one that suits you both”.

“But why, Kali?”

“Because she loves you and you are engaged,” Durnaa said, “and because I can!”

“Oh”.

“To pass it onto Kalitha you just have to touch her, I’m going to offer it to the rest of you as well, even UrZah!”

“You can do that?” said UrTih.

“I’m former Head of the Crasolian Parthenon! I can do what I like!” Durnaa said “and it is high time the rest of you benefitted from that fact! Other than just Azshar!”

UrTih said “Ok”.

“Take it as a gift, a gift from the Gods; you are all Ascended mortals anyway” a light flashed and UrTih felt something pass into him and got a glimpse of Durnaa’s power “done!” said Durnaa.

“So, I can shapeshift?”

“Yes,” said Durnaa “I was going to ask the other Gods about it, but then it occurred to me that I didn’t need to, that I could grant the basic shapeshifting powers that all GT have by right of birth without a problem, so enjoy it and use it wisely and with my blessing Old Friend”.

“Serious! Just like that, I can shapeshift?”

“Yes, just like that,” said Durnaa looking at UrTih “I didn’t know that Azshar was a student of yours once at one stage”.

UrTih nodded “it was before the Separation when I was TekTih not UrTih, although when he wasn’t wandering Thra which he did a lot he did use to help me sometimes in the valley mixing stuff and gathering things for me and he was the one that stopped me from bleeding to death when my damn counterpart took it upon himself to experiment on his own body and amputated two of his limbs! He was the one who got UrIm”.

Durnaa said “My memory is still not whole and a lot of it is still shattered and fragmented, Izon did too good a job at that”.

“Why though?”

“he tried to prevent me from ever remembering who or what I was; it worked for a time too,” Durnaa said, “He saw me as too much of a threat, he haunted my dreams for years!”

“That seems almost evil!” said UrTih.

“Izon’s not evil, misguided and arrogant yes but not evil. I have seen evil and Izon’s not it and nor are the Skeksis, there are worse things than the Skeksis out there and they’re not it, No Izon’s more like the UrSkeks” Durnaa said, “I was too big a threat to him  
due to my Neutrality, I probably do have too much good in me to be in the position I’m in, I probably should be more like Sellaware, but at least I do realise that there has to be balance in all things, but I’m, and always have been partially Neutral which is something Izon has never learnt, he is like the UrSkeks, but you guys have not seen me in Justicar Mode”.

UrTih said, “you've always been an inherently good person Durnajar, Az would not be such good friends with you if you were not”.

Durnaa said “you know the UrRu and the Skeksis are the only people who pronounce my name correctly apart from me,” he shrugged.

UrTih said “I will be there, and I’ll bring my ‘bug zapper’ how many you think we will need? They’re on my ship” as he had his ship these days, a leisure vessel much like Durnaa’s small cruiser, he used it to do deliveries for the school and the University on Crasolia and occasionally some courier work on the side to earn himself some extra income (they all did that) as UrSu was often fond of saying they adapted and they had survived, UrTih shared his ship with UrUtt, as Durnaa shared his with his family, and their partners and kids, UrSol or UrAzshar often piloted for Durnaa and had proven quite adept at it.

Durnaa chuckled “I never thought I see the day that you would fly your own spacecraft but bring about four”.

UrTih nodded “ok but right now I’m going to go try out my new ability, Rasscerain would be a good model to base it on” Rasscerain was his Xanaduen equal.

“You could be a Gorta-Trellian” Durnaa pointed out.

“No, I would have trouble with the tail and the wings, I think given all the trouble poor UrSol’s had”.

“You already have a tail” Durnaa pointed out.

“Yeah, I know, but it’s not like yours. It doesn’t do much more other than counterbalance the rest of me, granted it’s not so bad anymore but still.... the UrRu need their blasted tails!” he indicated his current form “I’m too big, like this, I know it is who I am and it’s not so bad anymore but geez!” he stood up a bit he was taller than Durnaa when he did that “I’m sick of been hunched over all the time and it’s not good for my back!”

Durnaa said “no wonder everyone thought Az was small!! You’re taller than him when you do that!”

“A bit,” UrTih said “how must have Jen felt all those years” he hunched down again “, and he is! He’s like UrAc”.

Durnaa said “I’m normal for a GT male! As to the tail, UrSol’s adapted” he said with a shrug “our tails aren’t prehensile for nothing you know!”

“Yeah, but he is now partially your race and as for Azshar, He always had a prehensile tail!” he said

“Ok,” said Durnaa, moving his tail, like all GT he had a prehensile tail which was easily hidden under a cloak or robes if he chose to (the wings were a bit harder) so he didn’t bother, he was GT and he wasn’t ashamed of that fact, same went for the tail, GT were considered ‘near human’ he didn’t need the tail, they just had them.

“Talk to Kalitha before you settle on a form though, one that suits you both like UrUtt has, as I said your default form is the one, you’re in now, the one you’re in now, I can’t change that, but you aren’t limited to it now,” Durnaa said.

“I wasn’t born in this form,” UrTih said, “remember?”

Durnaa said “true but you been in it so long I think of it as yours, but it should do your arthritis and back a world of good if you aren’t in it all of the time but seeing I gave you this gift, Tek gets it as well”.

“Fair enough” he said, “he’ll probably go Artean as well, I figured that”.

“You and he are the same people, two halves of one whole, you are linked and you always will be, you are more like fraternal twins these days and as much as you both are annoyed about it, you and Tek are brothers, actually more than that, you are more like twins, fraternal twins but still twins, Tek is your twin, he always will be, and this war might be what it is needed to bring you all back together in the only way you can, UrRu and Skeksis! You are stronger with each other. You need each other!” Durnaa said “remember that?” he paused and then added, “Bring Kali with you if you want to come, I notice that she is a bit shy around the rest of us, and it is high time we got to know her better, seeing she is your fiancée”.

UrTih said, “that’s just Kali, she’s always been a little self-conscious, and she is afraid of you”.

“Afraid of me?” Durnaa asked.

“Well, can you blame her, you’re a God!” UrTih said, “I will ask her to come though and tell her you asked me to bring her”.

Durnaa said “I guess you’re right” he sighed “sometimes I forget that I’m a God! Especially around you guys and exactly how powerful a God I am!”

UrTih said, “thank you, Durnaa for granting me my wish”.

Durnaa nodded ‘use it wisely, old friend, and with my blessing” and walked away vanishing as he did so.

“Hmm,” said UrTih to himself “I wonder how I’ll look in humanoid form? And what’s more Kali, I wonder how she’ll look in humanoid form, gorgeous I bet! Me I’m not so sure!” he thought of himself and how he currently looked and went off to find his fiancée to share Durnaa’s gift.


	12. Azshar and UrSol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interaction between UrAzshar the UrRu Magician and UrSol the UrRu Chanter (I warned you he takes front row with a lot of things he and SkekSil 😊) and something else happens that makes them worried.
> 
> Also, Word of Note: We don't know anything about SkekYi and UrYa so here is my version of them and yes, they consider themselves female.
> 
> ** Also, just to repeat, SkekSil and UrSol some years prior to this had gotten sick and had almost died, a strange incident with the Gods of Crasolia as they were trying to heal them has now left both UrSol and SkekSil slightly changed. And has given UrSol the ability to shape change, made them both Chosen of the Goddess Dalzea and given SkekSil small wings.**

Meanwhile, UrAzshar went looking for UrSol concerned for his friend; he found his friend sitting on the veranda of the lodge wearing dark glasses protecting his eyes from the glare, trying out some tunes on his harp, obviously caught up in his music.  
  
His youngest daughter Tanla sat next to him, she was an Urling,(she could shapeshift though) and he was teaching her to sing, Tanla had also been born with a measure of his musical gift, Jen Shard bearer (he was not the original Jen who was long dead, but he was of the original Jen and Kira’s line, thus the name ‘ _Shardbearer_ ’ which seemed to have become a last name for the line, he was also not the immediate heir (that was his sister) also sat nearby playing his flute.   
  
“Argh Jen! You are seriously out of practise!” UrSol scolded, UrSol sounded more GT these days but he still had a hint of his original accent which he had never lost, he still said ‘ _Jen_ ’ with his UrSkek accent, Tanla giggled.  
  
“Sorry Master UrSol,” said Jen “been a bit too busy to practise regularly”.   
  
“Obviously!” UrSol said he smiled though “fatherhood suits you though, here give me your flute and I’ll show you! How I taught you!”  
  
Jen handed him the flute, UrSol frowned a little at its worn condition and then started to hum a little then started to play, Azshar felt the magic rise slightly, Tanla clapped and laughed still a little too young to understand what was happening fully.   
  
Jen listened and Azshar took them all by surprise when he started to sing.  
  
“Uncle UrAa!” Tanla said running up to him and was in his arms; he was her other godparent, (Durnaa was the other) Tanla was the equivalent to four or five now and was starting school next year.  
  
“It’s been a while since you and I sang together,” UrSol said suddenly handing Jen his flute back “have to make you another one” he added.  
  
“Oh yeah,” said Azshar “you always overruled me”.   
  
“I overrule Everyone!” urSol said with a slight smile “but there is music in your blood too Durnazshar but you already knew that” he said using his UrSkek name.  
  
“Not like you,” said Azshar “and you know how long it has been since anyone has called me by that name?”  
  
“True” he agreed “I was just wondering if you still remembered it?”  
  
“Yes, I do, you are probably the only ones who do remember it apart from me,” Azshar said, “so how are you feeling and what were you doing?”  
  
“Better,” said UrSol “I took a nap. So, my headaches gone at least. UrZah and UrAc want me to try out some new music” he shrugged.   
  
“Seems you were playing there for the sheer joy of it though and not working,” Azshar said.   
  
“I was _trying_ to teach Jen! But Jen is way out of practice!” he frowned at Jen.  
  
Jen said “I’ve been a little busy! With the war, the kids and Kessi!” (Kessi was his wife)  
  
UrSol chuckled “like I said fatherhood suits you! Don’t worry I’m not going to chastise you! I’m still getting them right! I’m still experimenting with melodies but UrZah wants me to teach them to you and Sol and the rest of us” he looked at Azshar then “care to join us UrAzshar? And use the full power of your voice! There is magic in it too and I will overrule you otherwise” the other UrRu still called him UrAa, Az, or UrAzshar on occasion mainly Azshar.  
  
Azshar shrugged and made a gesture and his guitar appeared in his hands, he had had that guitar for as long as anyone could remember, he played a few other instruments as well but the guitar or the lute was his favourite, and he was damn good on it! It also wasn’t an electric one.  
  
UrSol said, “I won’t ask how you just suddenly had that!”  
  
“Chosen,” Azshar said with a smile “so what’s the melody?”  
  
UrSol went back behind his harp and started to play, Jen matched it on his flute, Tanla sat, listened, and hummed and Azshar joined in on his guitar.  
  
“Try your flute Tanla,” said UrSol “remembers what I taught you to feel the music! Same goes for you Jen! Match the tune” he urged “let’s go” he started to hum then added “feel the music! Let it inside you, let it fill you up it is a shame Solstarin is not here now, he could help you” he went back to his harp, humming a tune as he did so, clearly feeling better.  
  
Azshar had to smile, UrSol had been delighted when his oldest child had turned out to have his talent, but the smile that lit up UrSol’s face now was purely for Tanla, it was at its brightest when he realised that his youngest daughter, the child also had his talent and even more so than his oldest due to the fact she was an Urling in every sense of the word! Tanla was a juvenile UrRu!  
  
Father and daughter were inseparable because of that, and a strong and special bond had formed between them.  
  
“Listen to your heart” Azshar advised Tanla “follow your fathers lead”.

Tanla nodded and started to play on her flute, matching the melody, imperfectly at first and then started to follow it.  
  
“Well done!” UrSol said “we’ll make a chanter out of you yet Tany!” he looked at Azshar “follow my lead UrAa, start to sing when I do and use the full power of your voice”.  
  
Azshar nodded “I know I have some training in it, just never concentrated in it” and started to sing matching his voice to UrSol’s smoothly they didn’t sound too bad together, Azshar’s voice didn’t have the power or tone of UrSol’s (no one could) but he held his own.  
  
Jen stopped playing and just listened and so did Tanla as he realised, he had never heard just Azshar and UrSol singing together before, just the two of them he knew Azshar could sing and chant with the rest of the UrRu and often did at the ceremonies he had attended over the years, he knew all their songs and their chants and had lived amongst them for centuries and they still claimed him as one of their own.  
  
“You know I have never heard you two singing together” Jen remarked “but you’re done this before!”  
  
UrSol shrugged “he used to help me with the chants sometimes in the early days and as SilSol, Sil can still hum if he puts his mind to it and rather well, probably one of the few who still can, music had always been our talent it’s just that Sil lost most of it when we got divided not to mention most of his voice or its power but UrAzshar and I often used to sing together although I overruled everyone”.  
  
Azshar shrugged “I guess I saw him as a mentor”.  
  
Jen said, “when I was born, you and the others were long gone”.   
  
UrSol said softly with a slight note of bitterness “they still didn’t want us!!”  
  
“We never really left the UrRu,” said Azshar “well we did, and we didn’t they were our friends, and we shared the same fate as them”.   
  
“So, it was you! my ancestor saw that day!” Jen said.  
  
“Yes,” said Durnaa “the night in your Ancestors village and the day with the crystal, we were there” he paused “who do you think led the Garthim away from Jen and Kira? Your ancestor was almost found by one; SkekDurn and I stopped it and led UrSu to him! And UrIon and SkekTael made sure that the Podlings found Kira who do you think also stop the rest of the Garthim; we could control them too, that raided that night? I was so annoyed when I saw what they had become! We both were, Durn and I! SkekUng has some charges to answer for; Sil is not the only one, who has a score to settle with him, and Sil has redeemed himself well and truly Justice will be served!”   
  
“Hope Durnaa don’t kill him,” said UrSol “I know he is capable of doing so!”  
  
“He won’t, he knows he can’t, UrIm is blameless but his other side has some charges to answer for! UrIm is not responsible for his other side's actions”.  
  
UrSol nodded “I know, just promise me Durnaa won’t kill him”.  
  
Azshar said, “I promise, UrSol he’s not vengeful but he does believe in justice, I’ve served as his Aide for many years and I even live in his household, so I know him fairly well”.  
  
UrSol nodded and said “good, Durnaa is basically Good he always has been, but he also has such power and a temper, he’s also former head of the Parthenon and he has a power that none of us can ever hope to have, also I know _what_ you are capable of, I’ve seen hints of it before. Especially that night in the Gelfling village, I saw your face that night; you were more than just angry! Your eyes were burning, you might not have, had full control of your powers back then, but you had enough, and I could tell that you wouldn’t be merciful towards the Garthim you have always been powerful. We all saw it in you; we didn’t call you ‘ _The strange one_ ’ for nothing, I could feel your power that night” he paused and then continued “we never saw you again after that night, you had been there on and off over the years, but we never saw you again after that night, in the village, until the end ,that is one of the reasons why we left with Johnny, when we ended up on Earth in the 21st century because we no longer had a world to call home“.  
  
Jen said, “You were always a Chosen, Azshar!”.

“No, he wasn’t, but he wasn’t _supposed_ to be there though, he and Ion, they came looking for me about a century or so after we arrived,” said UrSol “they were separated just like we were”.  
  
Azshar chuckled “Sol, you are a Chosen now, choose your symbol, as do Nova, Ajeea and Sil!”  
  
“Mine? And Sil...?” he asked.  
  
“You, Ajeea and Nova,” he said, “you're all Chosen now like I am”.  
  
“But why me?”  
  
Azshar said “you got raised to Chosen status, you and Sil when that happened to you, Truth is UrSol, you and Skeksil, put bluntly are Chosen now!”.  
  
UrSol looked thoughtful “I knew Nova is Dalzea’s Prime, but I didn’t realise it applied to me too....”  
  
Azshar said “You aren’t a Prime of anyone, you are simply a Chosen “he indicated his harp “think about it”.  
  
“Me! A God?” said UrSol.  
  
“ _Chosen_ ” Azshar corrected “like I am, but you are in the position to do something about it”.  
  
“Oh,” he said.  
  
“Your choice,” Azshar said “your Ascension was not entirely Durnaa’s doing he put in a good word for you and wondered if there was anything, we could do to save you because you were sick, Dalzea did the rest, your technically one of her Chosen now and married to her Prime.”  
  
“OH’ said UrSol “thank Durnaa for that”.   
  
“But you are a Chosen now, so it entitles you to the limited ability to use an Avatar, much like I can if I want…just never really done anything about it”.  
  
“Ok but what of Moonie though?”  
  
Azshar said, “Moonie is also a Chosen by now, but as I said it is up to you what you do with that power.”  
  
UrSol said “I never thought I would be that! a _God_ ”.  
  
“ _Chosen_ there is a difference” Durnaa corrected “and neither did I, Chosen aren’t that much different to Ascended Mortals.”  
  
UrSol said, “what did Durnaa sacrifice for that status?”  
  
Azshar said “He sacrificed nothing! Nothing more than he already had!”  
  
UrSol said, “so I’m immortal now?”  
  
Azshar said "well no more than you already were, your just harder to kill now, I’m the same.”  
  
UrSol said, “so in a way, I have become an UrSkek again?”  
  
“More or less,” said Azshar “we both have”.  
  
UrSol said “ _hmm_ , although Azshar I’m afraid you are going to explode sometimes I can **feel** the power in you! And I have seen you overextend yourself I’m afraid you’re going to destroy yourself sometimes”.  
  
Azshar shrugged “I can’t just die UrSol! Nor can you anymore and I’ve always been too sensitive for my good, but I can’t just die UrSol, we’re virtually immortal but not invulnerable”.   
  
“You’re not?” UrSol said.   
  
“No”.   
  
“Why not?”  
  
“It is the counter-balance,”.  
  
“Does that include your magic?”  
  
“My magic and PSI powers I had as a Mortal are unaffected; because I had those powers before I became a Chosen! You also now have Divine powers because of that”.  
  
“What Divine Power?”  
  
“As a Chosen, you have some now; you just need to find out what they are,” he said.  
  
“I have divine powers now?”  
  
“yes,” said Azshar “and seeing it was largely Dalzea who largely is responsible for your transformation, you are technically under her Jurisdiction and your spheres of influence will probably be like hers and seeing she is a Nature Goddess it is fitting seeing like me you are UrRu and you are nature wizards and music seeing that is your talent”.  
  
“I still can’t believe I’m a God,” UrSol said.  
  
“Chosen” Azshar corrected “You’re a Chosen like me, as is Sil, but you’re not a powerful one you’re not a God! But you can work your way up through the ranks if you want, that is the right of a Chosen, although many rarely take it all the way seeing been a Chosen gives you some nice advantages as it is”.  
  
“So, it is as I said, ironically, I have passed onto a higher level of existence without been in my whole form, so what you are saying is that Sil and I are in effect UrSkek again?” UrSol said, “that I’m once again, SilSol?”  
  
“your both still UrSkek, but effectively yes, you’re a Chosen now and so’s he”.  
  
“Oh,” said UrSol “so Sil is still half an UrSkek?”  
  
“Yes, it’s just that seeing he was in his departed form, but he’s what he’s always been, half a UrSkek”.  
  
UrSol nodded “I remember you mentioning that”.   
  
“Wow,” said Jen then “a Chosen, Master UrSol”.  
  
Tanla said then “I already knew that Daddy was a Chosen!”  
  
Azshar and UrSol looked at Tanla, Azshar then asked her “Tanla how long have you known that? Think about how you answer this question are you just been a little girl, or do you know it? How do you know it?”  
  
“I just know,” said Tanla “I also know that I’m going to get a little brother or sister soon or both, maybe both it’s hard to see”.  
  
UrSol asked, “are you sure you didn’t just hear Mummy and I talking about that?”  
  
“No, I know! I hope it’s a sister! I **so** want a little sister! Although a baby brother would be cool too! It’ll be both! That would be so much fun!” Tanla said, “Daddy, are you and Mummy going to give me a little brother or sister soon?”  
  
Azshar spoke then “Tanla these, feelings? Do you know them or see them?”  
  
Tanla looked at her favourite uncle then realising that his violet-blue eyes were serious, and he was too, “both!” she said “they saved Daddy! Daddy was going to die otherwise! I knew Daddy was going to die if no one saved him and it made me sad, and they did!”  
  
“How long have you Known things like this?” Azshar asked. \  
  
“Since Daddy almost died!” said Tanla hugging her daddy “they saved him! the other Gods!”  
  
UrSol took Tanla’s hand “I was very sick Tany,” he said gently.  
  
Azshar frowned “seems your youngest kid had also inherited the seeric gift along with her red hair; it is in her line somewhere. My son Darellan has it too, not to the extent I do but he has it”.   
  
“Solstarin has mine,” said UrSol “but that is his UrSkek blood, _they_ didn’t consider that we were UrSkek and that if we had offspring our children would have UrSkek blood too. I’m not UrZah but like all of us I also have a touch of foresight, we all do but I’m not he”.  
  
“Tanla’s gotten hers from her GT blood,” Azshar said, “and like you she is also UrRu, you have a little seer here it seems and she’s going to need some training in it, you can never fully control the GT Seeric gift, but you can learn not to let it control you!”  
  
Azshar said, “I believe that I said once to you that she is a Mage”.  
  
UrSol nodded “I remember that Tanla was about one or so if I remember, but she’s also inherited my talent for music”.  
  
Azshar laughed “with you as their father why shouldn’t they?” he turned to Tanla you are going to need some training in that soon, come to me once a week and Durnaa and I will show you how to live with it, the seeric gift you have isn’t easy to live with and it is only going to get stronger as you get older, you can never fully learn to control it but you can learn not to let it control you, Darellan has it too”.  
  
“You mean, I can see the future?”  
  
“yes, but it is not always clear,” said Azshar “and can be frightening as well, without knowledge of how to use it, it can drive you mad, believe me” he smiled slightly “you’re a Midnite all right! Unfortunately, been a Midnite does come with some hefty powers it is in your blood as much as your red hair is”, he shrugged “or so it seems.”  
  
“Why though?”  
  
“Wish I could answer that Tany” he ruffled her red curls, she also had the characteristic red hair of the line which had become known as ‘ _Midnite Red’_ it was a mark of their bloodline, or so Durnaa had told him.  
  
Azshar said, “send her to me once a week for a couple of hours I’ll teach her how to control her seeric gift and eventually her magic too”.  
  
“Ok,” he said, “but she starts school next year?”  
  
Azshar nodded “that’ll help”.  
  
Jen stood up “think I’ll go find Kessi and the kids” he walked off.  
  
UrSol looked at Tanla “you’ll probably need a nap Tany, so you can be awake and alert when we go to the festival later, and for the fireworks and that, that is enough lessons for today go lay in the chaise lounge if you want” he indicated the chair on the veranda.  
  
“Yes, daddy,” she said.  
  
UrSol got up and stroked her hair humming a little as he pulled a blanket over her and Azshar said “her wings are getting big enough to get formal flying lessons soon I noticed when she was in GT form has, she decided yet, which she _prefers_?” GT children weren’t born with wings and learnt to fly in play, their wings started to grow out at about a year old, but they weren’t usually big enough or strong enough to fly properly or bear them long until they were about five or so which Tanla was equivalent to now.  
  
UrSol nodded “like I said she starts school next year”.  
  
Out of all the UrRu, apart from Az, UrSol understood the Gorta-Trellian the most, he had married one, and had five GT children and raised them.  
  
“Their wings are part of who they are,” said Azshar “as are their tails”.  
  
UrSol nodded “I know”.  
  
“They aren’t prehensile for nothing you know,” Azshar said “they don’t need them for balance or anything, but they have other uses as you well know, some not so obvious” he smiled at him.  
  
“Yeah,” said UrSol “I know”.  
  
Azshar asked, “so how are you feeling?”  
  
“My headaches are gone".  
“Ok” said Azshar “what you are feeling is normal according to Durnaa…. you’re not the only one feeling it though…I have Gorta-Trellian blood to remember and always had…”.  
  
“How are you handling it?”  
  
“Same way you are,” said Azshar.  
  
“Oh,” said Sol.   
  
“Here is some advice, get Nova with child”.  
  
UrSol nodded “Ok.”  
  
UrSol nodded. Azshar didn’t know about the baby yet either it seemed.  
  
Azshar seemed to be considering then said: “You are my oldest friend amongst the UrRu apart from Ion so how did we first meet? I’m afraid I seemed to have forgotten. Maybe that is what Durnaa means when he keeps saying I need to remember who I am….”.  
  
UrSol nodded “yes I do” he played a couple of tunes as if thinking about his words and then said, “I was your teacher, well one of them”.   
  
“You were?”  
  
“It was me; I was your music teacher and your friend as was Tek, Tek and I had always been friends which is why Tek’s betrayal hurt us all so much, we were of similar age, he and I, Az you have indeed forgotten a lot about been UrRu”.  
  
“How old were you?”  
  
“Young by UrSkek standards, probably around 35 or so equivalent, EktUtt was younger; I’m older than you were Durnazshar”.  
  
“You were…?”  
  
“Yes, “said UrSol “I was older than you, Tek and I taught at the school you and Ion attended, before we got exiled you were probably the equivalent of thirteen”.   
  
“So, I wasn’t a baby?”  
  
“No, you weren’t, Ion was only a little older and you lived with him because you were orphaned” he paused in his telling “we introduced you and Ion to the rest of us, probably **not** a wise choice on our behalf”.  
  
Azshar nodded “now that you mention it, I’m starting to remember it, although it seems in another life! I remember going back and been virtual prisoners there, but my memories of before we got separated are harder to remember”.  
  
“You looked a lot younger though because you had mixed blood and well compared to us you were small, and yes it was indeed another life”.  
  
“I probably was,” said Azshar.  
  
UrSol said, “you shared our pain and our folly and our eventual exile, why do you think UngIm was so adamant about getting you and Ion off the hook if he could because it was obvious that you weren’t originally one of us!”  
  
Azshar said, “I appreciate it, but I was as responsible as you were, it is my shame too”.  
  
UrSol said “a shame we will always wear, the UrSkeks set us free but the shame is still there” he paused “we both won and lost that trial”.  
  
UrAzshar said, “it has been some years since it, although we have all been wandering a lot longer than that”.  
  
UrSol said “so it is” he patted Tanla’s hair “I don’t want Tanla to know that I don’t want her to know my shame as I told Solstarin none of them is responsible for that, Trumea and Tanla I haven’t told,” Trumea was UrSol’s second youngest a boy equivalent to eleven.  
  
Azshar’s youngest son, Dartalian was about thirteen now and he and Trumea were good friends.  
  
Azshar nodded “that is your choice, old friend”.  
  
UrSol said, “it is our shame to bear not our children’s” he looked up as if hearing something and frowned and realised that someone had come up.  
  
SkekYi and UrYa both stood there together, they were another of the UrRu/Skeksis pairs who were close, they had been the pair that had died right away, and Yi had never fallen into the darkness as a result.   
  
“Hi, what’s up?” UrSol asked, she and her counterpart were smaller than the other Skeksis and UrRu and were frail-looking, UrYa was slightly shorter than Azshar when she stood up straight and they also had remained on Crasolia.  
  
“You guys have got to come to see this, UrSu sent us,” said UrYa her voice soft “we don’t know what we can do about it though”.   
  
“You ok?” UrSol asked.  
  
UrYa said “the aliens! You must come. We need options! Because of the _Covenant_!”  
  
“What’s wrong?” Azshar asked sensing something was up as suddenly they heard what sounded like a ringing noise pass through the air, one they all knew.  
  
“That’s what’s _wrong_!” said UrYa “ _UrSu’s_ called an urgent meeting”.  
  
UrSol sighed “ _Thra_! The aliens have attacked Thra!!”.  
  
Azshar said, “oh no, that could cause a problem!”  
  
UrYa nodded “we can even hear it inside us, we can both sense it, what you are both hearing, it is why UrSu has called a meeting!”  
  
SkekYi said “Please come”.  
  
“Ok, we’ll be along,” said UrSol.  
  
UrYa said “don’t be too long”.   
  
“We won’t, “said UrSol as they walked away “now that is one of the Pairs who get on, the others were UrHom and SkekHak, You and SkekDurn, UrIon and SkekTael and UrGoh and SkekGra”.   
  
“So are you and Sil now,” said Azshar ‘the two of you have also gotten rather close”.   
  
“Almost Dying probably did that!” UrSol said “and Sil and I, well we never really hated each other anyway, probably due to our nature, almost dying however brought us together “he looked thoughtful “you know I should shift back to my UrRu form, and so technically should you, I _know_ you can! And, you seem to have forgotten that you are UrRu! UrIm says that your aura is way off balance!”  
  
“Do you want to?” Azshar asked.  
  
“I should,” he said and did so.  
  
He said, “I look more like you did now, UrRu but with a touch of something else, guess I have changed! I also forgotten that my hair was originally dark it was white for so long, I’m be taller than you are!”.  
  
“You always were,” Azshar said.  
  
“Feels weird though last time I did this was at Crystals Naming five years ago, I haven’t done it much since” his form blurred, and he stood looking as he did now just over 6.0 with black hair, dark green eyes and pulled his clothes back on and pulled on shoes, he often went barefoot but there was snow on the ground and said “I should take Tanla in” he picked up his sleeping daughter and carried her inside, Azshar followed him.  
  
“So, when do you want to head down to the festival?” UrSol asked then.  
  
“After dinner, Aristas has a long twilight,” Azshar said, “Durnaa told me to take the night off….”.  
  
“Ok,” he said lying her on the bed and stroked her hair and said, “you know I was probably at my most UrSkek when she was conceived and born, but I was also at my weakest.”  
  
Azshar nodded “we thought we had well and truly lost you then, we didn’t expect you to wake up”.  
  
“I know,” he said picking up his walking staff and they walked down to where UrSu had deemed a meeting area, under the lodges.


	13. UrRu meeting and Farewells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The UrRu hold a meeting to discuss options and dispatch Durnaa's oldest son to help Thra.
> 
> Carillion (Durnaa's son) and Darellan (Az's Son) say farewell.

All of the UrRu that were present were there, as well as the present Skeksis as was UrLeah, Durnaa, Moonlight, Nova, Ajeea, Windwhisper, Jen and Kessi, UrLii’s wife Lyaa and his daughter Sibella, Kalitha, Sol, Teri and Teloth, Darellan and Mozellia as well as Az’s twin girls, and Dartalian, and UrSol’s middle daughter Lysania and Ajeea’s youngest girl Crystal as well as King Tirellian, Senoran and Zininza not all of them were UrRu, but UrSu now considered most of them one of them, even the Skeksis!  
SkekTek has also turned up with an Artean woman in tow and SkekSil had bought Queria his wife.  
  
Nova saw UrSol and came over to his side “Tanla?” she asked.   
  
“Asleep,” said UrSol putting an arm around his wife and said, “it’s ok, she’s fast asleep”.  
  
Nova nodded “good but are you feeling what I am? I feel incomplete, like half of me is missing!”  
  
“I feel that way all the time,” said UrSol “welcome to my world”.  
  
“Yes,” she said.  
  
UrSu spoke then “we _have_ a problem and I need options! Thra has been attacked, we all felt it, and we all heard it! so, what are we going to do?”  
  
UrZah spoke then ‘you know we can never go back to Thra, due to the Covenant, yet we all still linked to that world deep inside, we cannot let it be destroyed, for I fear if it fell, we too would die, for despite everything, we are now a part of it too!”  
  
Kessi said, “not all of us were banned from Thra, Jen and I could go”.   
  
“That’s an option, any others?” said UrSu.   
  
“The problem we have is here is this, Thra isn’t in the Alliance yet, or else we could dispatch someone from CAW to protect it,” Durnaa said then “and we have been told to leave it alone and none of you can ever go back due to the Covenant you agreed to”.  
  
“Durnaa, Azshar and Ion weren’t banned” UrSu reminded him.  
  
“I know but I’m needed here as is Ion, but we do need someone to go to Thra and defend it, someone who the Thrarans won’t object to,” Azshar said then.  
  
“Meaning someone who isn’t exiled or banned,” said UrZah “which puts most of us out, we can never return!”  
  
SkekHak spoke then “that is a problem”.   
  
“No, it _isn’t_!” said Tirellian then “you are missing the obvious solution”.  
  
UrZah looked at UrSu’s Xanaduan Equal, surprised that three of the Xanaduens had even attended and spoken “, and that is?”  
  
“Listen to him” UrSu urged then “go on Tirellian”.   
  
“Some years ago, _your_ race kidnapped me, mistaking me for SoSu” he started.   
  
“Just UrSu not SoSu, I have no right to that name anymore” UrSu corrected.  
  
“SoSu,” said Tirellian, “your race thought I was you and then they realised their mistake they apologised, you came after me with the Xanaduens to rescue me and were then banned from ever returning for your past errors. It seems that we, the _Xanaduens_ , owe you a debt, this situation has arisen because of that. You are all still linked to Thra so you can’t let it be destroyed, I can understand that, but you cannot go to save due to the Covenant. **I** can! I was never banned from Thra; I’m also an Ambassador so it also gives me diplomatic immunity regardless of where I go and we have an Alliance recognised Warfleet odd that it may seem, _I’m_ also the Xanaduen leader, the UrSkeks know me! And due to the mistaken identity thing, I was never banned from Thra, I’m a perfect choice!”

“But isn’t that a risk to Xanadu?” UrSu asked.  
  
“Not if one of the royal lines remains behind and in this case, it is my brother who is currently holding the fort now, and the leaders have given me consent to go. Also, it ‘ll only be me not all the leaders, who are as linked to Xanadu as I am, as you are to Thra, you are not the only ones which would possibly die if your world were destroyed”.  
  
“You have a brother?” UrSu asked.   
  
“yes, I do but he’s not a Leader because he chose not to be and those years ago, he was elsewhere at the time. Also, there is always King Blood he’s as linked to Xanadu as I am, I can go UrSu, I can help save Thra for you, also I may be able to convince them and CAW to form an Alliance, we are at War and Thra has been drawn into it whether they want to be or not! It is time they joined us, they meet the Criterion, a planet like Thra meets the criteria, they are a developed world with their own culture, our rules are flexible, maybe been drawn into this war through no fault of their own will make them realise this I can take some of the Warfleet with me and go protect Thra”.   
  
“He has a point Master,” said Azshar then “the Xanaduens weren’t banned from Thra, they also know Tirellian, and he is an Ambassador he is probably the ideal choice to do this” as they all heard or felt the crystal cry out again.  
  
SkekSil groaned “that sound is going to drive me mad if it doesn’t stop soon!” he sighed “we can’t seem to get rid of it, can we?”  
  
UrSu said, “it is our shame to bear Sil”.  
  
SkekSil sighed “I know that “.  
  
UrZah said, “but Tirellian is Xanaduen!”  
  
Durnaa said then “the Xanaduens have more than proven themselves and their worth UrZah it is time you realised that! As I said to you years ago, they deserve a little more respect! I should have forced you as well to go with them then! As I did UrSu! You and UrIm both! We are at war! And the Xanaduens have proven themselves staunch allies” all of them looked at Durnaa then in surprise and UrSu realised that there was the hint of the Justicar been shown through again, Durnaa was using his ability he had as a God, this was Durnaa the God now, not just Durnaa, Durnaa’s eyes glinted dangerously.  
  
“Oops!” UrSol said then “err UrZah maybe you shouldn’t push the issue or argue the point with Durnaa at the moment!” UrSol stepped forward.  
  
“ Durnaa’s right UrZah, King Tirellian is the ideal choice for this’ UrSol for once was showing that he was one of the more powerful UrRu and one of those in command.  
  
UrZah said, “I don’t know what to think anymore; my Counterparts turned to the enemy. I can’t see anything it is unclear!”  
  
“Mine to remember?” said UrIm.  
  
“What is the issue you have with the Xanaduens anyway?” UrTih asked then “sure they cause a bit of interference around us but then so does Durnaa!”  
  
“Law meets Chaos,” said Durnaa “you are Law, the Xanaduens are chaos, I’m both” he held his staff up so they could all see “the Balance has shifted, we need to restore it” they could all see that the staffs symbol was tipped to one side “I’m that Balance! We need to restore it, due to your link to Thra that is _why_ you are all hearing the Crystal calling”.  
  
UrZah said “your staff Durnaa”.   
  
“I know,” said Durnaa “Justice will be served, and the Balance will be retained! As a God of Neutrality, I must do so, Tirellian and the Xanaduens are an important part of this because they embody the universe and Neutrality let Tirellian do this” he put his staff across his back “go do this King Tirellian and with my blessing”.  
  
King Tirellian nodded “do we agree?” he asked.  
  
UrSu nodded “we are, you are the ideal choice for this seeing most of us can never go back to Thra, you are right we did miss the obvious solution”.   
  
“You're going to need a ship,” said Carillion Midnite, Durnaa’s son “I offer the **Shunshu** , I will take you to Thra, King Tirellian it is three or four days away at max warp and I will be honoured to do so, and I’ll even stick around to help if that is ok with you Durnaa?”  
  
Durnaa said “why ask me? Shunshu is your ship and your command now I **gave** it to you!”  
  
“I thought you might have needed me here,” said Carillion.  
  
Durnaa said, “this is more important you have the Xanaduens Warfleet so take a couple of them with you”.  
  
Senoran nodded “how many ships do you want King Tirellian? We’ll send a message out to the fleet, so they can choose who goes and who stays, volunteers only!”  
  
Tirellian said “3 or 4, we also have the Shunshu, assign three or four to us, but allow them to decide who! And make sure they know that!”  
  
“OK,” said Senoran.  
  
UrSu said, “thank you for doing this Tirellian, we don’t know how we were going to do this, seeing we can’t go back to Thra”.  
  
King Tirellian nodded “we are at war, a war that will involve us all, our Paths will once again entwine now and forever, SoSu Master of the UrRu” he offered out a hand and UrSu took it.   
  
“Take care, my brother,” said UrSu.   
  
“So, we are _brothers_ now?” Tirellian asked with a smile.  
  
UrSu said “yes we are, however, ironic that may seem, speaking of brothers I need to speak to my Counterpart SkekSo! There is much more here than meets the eye. See if we can help in any way seeing you say he is on our side Tek!”  
  
SkekTek nodded “he is! He’s one of the leaders of the resistance! On Telgris he was one of the ones who got Lailai and us off the planet, undetected at risk to himself, the other was his son”.  
  
“What made him change sides?” UrSu asked.  
  
“The Covenant and probably what happened to the rest of us when we ended up back on UrSkaa when Jen healed the Crystal and maybe, eventually the War that _we_ caused on Thra! And what we did to it!” said Tek “it made us both realise that it is time we made peace with each other, just took some of us longer that is all, we need each other, UrRu and Skeksis, we will always need one another, something ironically SkekDurn saw all along! seeing without the other we are weak, some of us had realised that already,” he sighed “I’m not just Tek anymore I’m also Tih, together we are One, together we are TekTih and it is time we all realised that!”  
  
UrTih sighed “bout bloody time you did! We’re half of each other you silly bird! I can’t guarantee we’ll ever be close but I’m willing to try if you are? We are not Whole without each other; together we are one, we are TekTih!”  
  
“Sil and I realised that years ago!” UrSol said, “although you two have been working on that for years patching your relationship up, we can’t rid each other of each other so we might as well get on!”  
  
UrSu nodded “then maybe it is time I did the same, Tek, can you patch me through to SkekSo, we need to talk!”  
  
“Yes, your Highness,” said Tek   
  
UrSu grunted “quite frankly he doesn’t have any right to that anymore! Self-styling himself _Emperor_ like that!” he followed Tek away.   
  
“Why do you think he has always remained Master of the UrRu?” UrZah asked coming over.  
  
Azshar said, “I was just one of the others and quite frankly seeing I wasn’t supposed to be there! The three of you have always been close; you were older than the rest of us. Look just because I argue with you at times UrZah don’t think I don’t like or respect you because I do, I always have”.   
  
“I know,” said UrZah “but you were never really one of us, you weren’t one of us, you should never have gotten involved Durnazshar, you should not have had to share our shame, it wasn’t fair on you, you just wanted to find out what happened to your friends”.  
  
Azshar nodded “I know, but I do consider myself thus, you were there for me when no one else was, I lived amongst you for centuries! I am one of you! UrSu considers me so even if you don’t and maybe that is what Durnaa means.”  
  
UrZah said “you shared our fate when you shouldn’t have, you shared our shame without needing too, you stood with us when you didn’t have to, no you were not originally one of us but by soul you are, UrSu sees this as do I” he then walked away.  
  
“I still think he’s a bit stuffy, “Carillion said with a smile at his father, Durnaa.  
  
“True he is,” said Durnaa, looking at Carillion, he barely saw his eldest son anymore, Carillion had strawberry blonde hair and grey eyes, his triplet sisters Rarna and Dareela also favoured their Midnight blood, although Rarna had black hair and Dareela was blonde, his children were Triplets, but they didn’t look as alike.  
  
The girls were Fraternal twins and Carillion was their third although he was Firstborn, followed by Dareela and then Rarna, the three children were his and Medelina’s, who had long been his lover, but they had never made it official because they were of two different Parthenon’s, (him Crasolia, she Talafran) they were half Eladrin, half Gorta-Trellian, Talafran was and always would be an _Eladrin_ world.  
  
“I haven’t seen you for a while, Carl, how have you been?” Durnaa asked then.  
  
“Busy with the war” he replied.   
  
“And your family?”  
  
“All fine” he replied “my youngest starts school next year” he smiled at his dad it felt weird sometimes, he physically didn’t look much younger than his father, Durnaa would always be forever youthful due to being a God.   
  
“Already?” Durnaa asked, “doesn’t seem so long ago that she was in a pram”.  
  
“Yes, they’re on Shunshu if you want to come to see them before we go to Thra it will take three days to get there”.  
  
“I’ll do that,” said Durnaa “I’m sorry there’s just been so much going on”.  
  
“We’re coming to the festival tonight,” he said, “but we will leave in the morning, I have given Darellan, Teloth, Solstarin and Mozi shore leave so they can remain and Kyri as well”.  
  
“Ok,” said Durnaa “take care”.  
  
Carillion nodded “I will” he walked over to Tirellian to make some last-minute arrangements.  
  
“Your oldest son doesn’t look much like you “Zininza remarked “he looks more Eladrin than Gorta-Trellian”.  
  
“He favours his mother’s blood rather than mine, he and his Triplet sisters, the three of them are Triplets it’s just that most don’t take them for such” Durnaa said.   
  
Zininza nodded “I see you do know that this is the best option?”  
  
“Yes, I do,” said Azshar then joining them “and I can’t believe we _missed_ it until Tirellian pointed it out” Azshar frowned as he heard the Crystal cry out again and wondered if Zininza or Durnaa could.  
  
Zininza said, “I can too, only not so keenly but I think that is due to our cosmic nature than anything else”.  
  
Durnaa said, “I’m just a God, a being touched by the Void, as I told Xavier, but you guys are this universe’s _soul_ , it’s _heart_ , it’s consciousness, I think if anything ever happened to you, this universe would slowly die”.  
  
“It would,” said Zininza “we are its Guardians”.  
  
Azshar nodded and continued “the other UrRu they find you distracting; they are Law, you are Chaos because you are of this universe and they aren’t, me, due to my mixed blood don’t feel it so much…. but they do.”  
  
Zininza nodded “it is something we have kept secret for a long time it is who we are, we aren’t so different to the Time Lords, we’re this universe version of them, us and them, not so unalike”.  
  
Azshar said “I think I already knew that though” he looked around for his wife and found her.  
  
Zinz asked “are you ok Azshar? You seem off-balance”.  
  
Azshar said “Be glad you aren’t Gorta-Trellian! Or half like I seem to be, I’m just going through the Changes it’s driving me nuts and it seems that middle age has finally caught up to me!”  
  
“I thought you were immortal?”  
  
“I don’t age normally due to the Chosen thing and UrSkek blood, I’m practically Timeless much like you are but I’m still half Gorta-Trellian and my body is reminding me of that” he sighed “just be glad you aren’t Gorta-Trellian!”  
  
“It’s not going to harm you”.  
  
“No just drive me crazy for a bit, it’s a natural thing Zinz” he shrugged.  
  
“Ok,” said Zinz.  
  
Azshar said “excuse me” he went over to his wife and kissed her “let’s get ready for the festival, the girls and Dartalian are looking forward to going”.  
  
Moonlight said," but you want to play first don’t you,” she said with a chuckle.  
  
Azshar shrugged and said “don’t you? And seriously I need a time out!”  
  
She nodded “me too yep you need a time out, you're practically glowing!”  
  
Azshar sighed “damn my Urskek aura! Come on, let’s go somewhere”.  
  
Moonlight nodded and said coyly “I am not wearing any underwear you know”.  
  
“I know,” said Azshar “Damn this! Let’s go cure our Burn and then go to the festival."  
  
“Yes, my lord” she teased playfully, kissing her Azshar made them both invisible and plane shifted away before they lost control.  
  
“Crap your dad practically just took your mum there and then” Carillion remarked to Darellan.   
  
“yeah,” Darellan said, “major libido overload!”  
  
Carillion said “Lucky I’m at the end of mine now but gee your poor dad! It must be driving him nuts due to his mixed blood; I’ll have to remember this when it happens to me”.   
  
“And me with Syndarin,” said Darellan “it is bad enough now when it happens”.  
  


“I won’t be so bad,” Carillion said, “my wife and I aren’t soul bonded, but I know that Dareela and her husband are, I’m not so sure about Rarna I’ve never asked”.  
  
“Syn and I are,” said Darellan “can be more of a curse than a blessing at the time.”  
  
Carillion said “I told dad that you are all onshore leave so you can remain here while I go defend Thra, you're needed here, and I didn’t want you to miss your engagement party. Also, your Dad needs his sons here, seeing he is kind of vulnerable now and Dartalian’s too young”.  
  
Darellan nodded “thanks Carl” and hugged him there was over a century in their ages but they had always been friends, they weren’t as close as he was to Taloth and Sol who were more brothers to him, despite just been cousins, Carillion was close on 250 years old to Darellan’s 126, but they had always been friends, Azshar and Moonlight had had a little trouble conceiving again after he was born and hadn’t been trying.   
  
Moonlight and Azshar had always had a little trouble conceiving which is why the ages of their children were so spaced.  
  
Azshar blamed his half breed status and that he had been divided in two, so when Dartalian had been born, they had decided no more children.  
  
Carillion said “good; your father does need his sons here, you're it”.  
  
Darellan said, “seems I have always been”.  
  
Carillion nodded “yeah don’t worry, look I’m sorry I’m going to miss your engagement party, but the war precedes over everything else at the moment and King Tirellian needs me”.  
  
“it’s o.k.’ said Darellan “do what you must” he hugged him again “see you at the festival tonight then, I’m taking Syndarin”.  
  
Carillion nodded “yes I will bring my wife and children, although she’s pregnant again, this time with twins, that’ll put me up to four”.  
  
“How far along?"  
  
“Four months,” he said, “she’s just starting to show, it’s a girl and a boy”.  
  
“Twins,” said Darellan.  
  
“Yes, twins,” he said “ it runs in the family, so the chance of any of us having twins is high, yourself included, once you start having your little ones you’ll probably get twins too the chance is high in our family and line, I’m a Triplet, your dad even had twins too despite his mixed blood, Uncle Ajeea had twins, Rarna had twins, Dareela hasn’t yet though, I’m getting twins, so yeah your chance of having twins too is high as well it’s almost a guarantee, Dareela hasn’t yet though and nor has Aunt Nova, but Dareela probably will at some stage, although I’m surprised that Aunt Nova hasn’t though, although I guessing that is more her UrRu husbands fault rather than hers, even Teri, Teloth’s twin, has had twins of her own, Lornar hasn’t yet though but he probably will, Solstarin probably will too although his UrRu blood may get in the way, our chance of getting twins is very high it is almost a guarantee, I got mine on the way, we’ll probably all have at least one set each, it is in our blood as much as our red hair and powers are”.  
  
“I guess I hadn’t thought about it actually,” Darellan said, “Syn and I haven’t discussed children yet, but you are probably right”.  
  
Carillion nodded “haven’t decided what to call them yet though if you can think of any names let me know, we’re due around the middle of next year”.  
  
“Ok,” said Darellan.  
  
Carillion hugged him again “take care, look I know there is over a century in our ages, but you’re still my best mate, and I love you, you always will be the little brother I always _wanted_ , who I used to push around in a pram and look after occasionally, my Jedaini friend, you are the most like your mostly UrRu father, I’m sorry to miss your engagement party”.  
  
“We’ll tape it and send you a copy,” said Darellan “but you are right it seems I’m always the one left behind, but that is part of been a Jedaini” as out of all of Az’s children he was the one who was a Jedaini Knight, they were all Force Adept and sensitive, but it was Darellan who was a Jedaini Knight.  
  
“Your Dad needs you at the moment,” said Carillion “he’s a bit vulnerable now, so help him.”  
  
“I will try,” he said.

  
Carillion looked at his watch and said “best get going, see you at the festival Bro” then he orbed away, the ability to Orb was a gift granted to them all due to their fathers' status, he orbed away himself to his ship to plan.


	14. UrSu Talks to SkekSo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UrSu talks to his counterpart SkekSo (if your a Skekso fan this is a good chapter), to find out what is really going on! And Yes UrSu and SkekSo now have children of their own ( but not with each other) , UrSu has two daughters and a son and SkekSo two sons and a daughter, ( Kellan is his oldest) not to mention Grandchildren!!!  
> Leah is a female UrRu, not one of the Fallen and is UrSu's wife. (Yes the Master of the Mystics got married!!!)

UrSu sat alone at the communications panel on Durnaa’s ship, he had asked if he could use it for privacy, Durnaa had agreed and had even offered him his codes for extra security, but UrSu had pointed out he had his secure codes as well due to being an Ambassador.  
  
He had to admit that Durnaa’s ship was nice, he flew the ship himself and he had gotten it for his personal use when he had retired .  
  
UrSu put his code into the panel and said: “Ambassador UrSu, put me through to Emperor Skekso on Telgris, maximum security, code 12”.  
  
“ _Working Ambassador,_ ” said Durnaa’s ships AI, he knew it was considered sentient and was PSI sensitive as an Adept Grand Master, Durnaa, of course, had a Psionically sensitive AI.  
  
There was a beep and SkekSo’s (and UrSu’s) UrSkek symbol appeared on the screen (they both used it), UrSu took a deep breath, it had been a while since he had seen his Counterpart in person since Telgris had gotten occupied they didn’t exactly get on but they no longer hated one another , as UrTih had said it was kind of hard to hate the other side of you, without hating yourself as well.  
  
SkekSo’s visage appeared on the screen, he looked annoyed and like them, he no longer looked like when they had lived on Thra so long ago, they too looked younger and fitter, he no longer wore mouldering robes and looked fit and healthy, been overlord of Telgris agreed with him.   
  
_“What do_ you _want_!” he growled.   
  
“Glad to see you too, So,” UrSu said calmly determined not to let his counterpart annoy him.   
  
“ _You_ do _realise it is the middle of the night here_?” he asked, “ _and what are you doing on_ **Aristas** _?_ ” as both communications though secure tagged where he was.  
  
“War Council,” said UrSu “neutral territory”.  
  
“ _Since when have_ you _led a war council_?”  
  
“Durnaa is, not I, and since we ended up in an intergalactic war, how secure is your channel?” UrSu asked.  
  
“ _Secure enough_ ” he replied, “ _what do you want_?”  
  
“SkekSil said that I should contact you and discuss the situation,” UrSu said, “ and I know you sent Tek and Li here at great risk to yourself, and I thank you for that, they both arrived here safely”.  
  
“ _I placed them under_ your _protection_!” he said “especially _Tek! We need him_ _alive_! _and back here when you can spare him_ , _SkekLi can remain she is not needed_ _so much it’s why I sent her as well! And what does_ Sil _know any more_!"  
  
“Yes he is,” said UrSu “he always will be! And regardless of what the rest of you think of him, he has done more for you lot than you _realise_! He’s **your** Ambassador! You did not make him Chamberlain for nothing! His duties as Ambassador have suited his skills well! And he only got it because neither you nor SkekVar wanted the position as I got to be Ambassador for my side seeing UrMa is too busy with his duties on the CAW Council these days!” now _I remember why I have avoided talking to him for so long_ , UrSu thought with a sigh, _we always end up arguing!_ He had to admit his counterpart set his teeth on edge! And he knew SkekSo felt the same about him, like all of them SkekSo was the more dominant one.  
  
“ _Ok, what is it you want_?” SkekSo said realising that UrSu wouldn’t have called him otherwise if he didn’t think it was important to do so. However, he felt about his Counterpart he knew that UrSu was as much Master of the UrRu as he was leader of the Skeksis and he couldn’t deny UrSu’s power without denying his own both of them were leaders of their respective sides and they did respect each other and even though they hadn’t been together in the same room for several years now they had had many a game of online Chess.  
  
“Tek tells me the T’ron occupies you,” said UrSu, “Sil said you were but Li and Tek confirmed it”.  
  
“ _yes we are_ ,” said SkekSo “ _we were one of the first planets to fall to the T’ron we had no defences that were good enough to withstand their might, noone cares about a remote penal colony, apart from those that live here or are sentenced here and as far as the universe is concerned who cares if we fall, fewer criminals to worry about_!”  
  
“You are a penal colony” UrSu pointed out “which is probably why noone cared when you claimed it as your own. I know you Skeksis claimed it as your new kingdom but it is still classed as a _penal_ _colony_!” when SkekSil had told him that the Skeksis had claimed Telgris as their own and now ruled it as it’s overlords and had for quite some time, UrSu hadn’t been surprised at that, none of them had been, the Skeksis were used to ruling, they were the dominant half and always had been although UrSu hoped that they had learnt from the mistakes of the past though.   
  
“ _It isn’t_ just _a penal colony anymore UrSu_ ,” said another voice and another Skeksis joined Skekso at the screen, this one was big and powerfully built obvious even with the robes he wore and had the bearing of a warrior, and UrSu drew a sharp intake of breath.  
  
“ **SkekUng**!” he said.   
  
“ _The same_ ”.   
  
“Tek said you had turned!” UrSu said with a frown.  
  
SkekSo said, “ ** _all_** _is not quite what it seems UrSu; **listen** before you judge_!”  
  
“Since when have you started to sound like me?” UrSu asked “explain your actions Ung!” he commanded then, using that part of him that he had in him that made him the undisputed Master of the UrRu and why, he and So had not been their leader for nothing, as SoSu and as UrSu and SkekSo “I will listen”.  
  
“ _Seems like you still do have some of your fire in you after all_!” SkekUng said then “ _I_ ** _told_** _him to spread that! As Tek said we are occupied and have been for several_ _years, we were one of the first worlds to fall to the enemy, we were a penal colony and had no real defences and noone rushed to help a penal colony. We had_ _nothing_ _against a superior force such as the T’ron so they just took us, they need the resources it provides. As the Overlords of Telgris, we were the first threatened, we_ **had** _to give in to their demands for the sake of the Colony, we had to pretend that we would side with them, or they would kill the leaders otherwise_!”  
  
“ _And seeing that is us....”_ SkekSo said.  
  
Sudden insight hit UrSu “you were trying to protect **_yourselves_ **and in turn protect the three of us as well! Me, UrIm and UrZah! You were trying to protect yourselves and us!”  
  
“ _And the children, we have the same limitations as you lot do in that area! We always have_ ” said SkekSo “ _we can’t kill each other! As we’d only kill ourselves, we are still half of each other; we may have forgotten that once but we do no longer_!”  
  
UrSu nodded “I guess that may have been the problem”.   
  
“ _We can’t rid ourselves of each other! The T’ron don’t know that about us, they don’t know about you or else they would use it and they_ **can’t** _know_!” Skekso said.  
  
SkekUng said “ _exactly! I did what needed to be done! We all did! Yes, we may have claimed Telgris as our own but we’re_ _built_ _something here! We are its Overlords! We have also learnt from the mistakes and sins of our past, you UrRu aren’t the only ones who have changed, we aren’t evil anymore, the T’ron are evil not us! We’re not who we_ once _were! We’re not good like you lot are but we aren’t evil either_!”  
  
“Dark and light,” said UrSu “Darkside, Lightside it seems that this universe has changed us all, Durnazshar always knew that! We’re both Neutral; we did what we did because we were Neutral! We’re more like Durnaa than any of us realised; Neutrality is higher in you than it is in us but Neutrality rules us both! Well it does now, we have indeed come a circle, our people never should have let us go” he paused for a moment weighing his next words “the others still think you have Turned though and that you are building weapons and that for the enemy”.

“ _True_ ,” said SkekUng “ _the T’ron do confer with us on those matters, we were a technologically advanced race remember? It is why we caused such an impact on Thra but know this, the knowledge we give them we also give to you, Tek has it you can trust us! We are on your side! We don’t want the T’ron to win as much as you, SkekSil says that you have seen what will happen if they do! We_ **don’t** _have our mystical powers anymore remember?_ You _got that part of us, not us! We have some magic, but not like you do! You got our wisdom; we got our technological knowledge_ ”.   
  
“UrZah did indeed see that and so did UrAzshar, regardless of what you think of SkekDurn he got the gift too he was one of you,” UrSu said.   
  
“ _I never understood him! Even though not one of the 18 he shared our fate, and he stood with us, he followed us into exile, but unfortunately, we seemed to have lost him, he and Tael, vanished into the void, some years ago, and we haven’t seen nor heard of either of them since, we mourn them as if they are dead and we are afraid that they might be and yet somehow shielded their other halves from the same fate, but you are right UrSu, but UrSu you can trust us! We are on your side! We don’t want them to win either as much as you, we’re done something on Telgris or we don’t want to lose it_!”  
  
“It’s a penal colony!”  
  
“ _True but it’s **our** penal colony! We rule it as its overlords! And so were many other worlds out there once!”_ said SkekSo “ _Ok some it is still a penal colony but only half of it, the other half of it made mainly by former prisoners and us! Is a viable colony world even if it is a big jungle! We saw an opportunity and took it when a prisoner finishes their sentence we offer them a chance to become colonists we are the overlords of Telgris, Sil was not wrong when he said that, much like we were on Thra but we learnt from our past mistakes and our sins but as he said we are currently occupied_ ”.  
  
UrSu asked, “and you had no defences?”  
  
“ _None that could withstand the T’ron, we are a penal colony, of course, they didn’t leave us decent defences to defend ourselves on Telgris, we had to provide what we could like we did on Thra but we will fight for what we have, the three of us Zok, Ung and Me, we are the leaders of the resistance, because we are its overlords,_ ” SkekSo said ‘ _and then there is my son, Kellan_ ”.  
  
UrSu looked thoughtful “I didn’t realise the full situation all I know is what we were told and they said that you could be trusted but not Ung and Zok that troubled me. Because we three are still some of the strongest amongst us, the other been Sil and Sol, even though UrSol forgets it sometimes, the other of course is UrAzshar, but I will have to tell Durnaa and the others that you have not turned or else he will deal justice on you! Durnaa is a God of Justice not of War but he is a powerful one! And when we were told you had turned, we all saw a glimpse of that!”  
  
“ _Azshar was always strange_!” SkekUng said, “ _apart from us four he was the other one who stood out, and then_ there _is Durnaa……”.  
_  
“Durnaa is a Former Head of the Crasolian Parthenon and a Greater Power,” said UrSu “he is easily the most powerful of all! You don’t want him angry at you, I will have to tell him that you have not turned and the others as well but to be honest he was the one I feared the most, we have never seen what Durnaa coins as his ‘ _Justicar Mode_ ’ when he lets the fully Neutral side of his nature show, but I heard you don’t want to, Durnaa will judge you harshly he would not kill you but he would not be lax, he is a God of Justice after all, not of War”.  
  
“ _Fair enough_ ,” said SkekSo “ _like I said I have sent Tek to you great risk to ourselves use his knowledge wisely, but you can trust us, you are right though UrSu maybe it is time you and I be SoSu once more, it is_ who _we once were_ ”.  
  
UrSu nodded “can’t say I will ever like you though and I daresay I never will same goes for most of us but maybe it is time we stopped ignoring each other and came together as One again in the only way we can. I need your tactical knowledge what do I know of war? I’m a creature of peace I always have been, war is not our place but we have been drawn into this conflict and looked towards for leadership, we need to use each other our combined knowledge for who we once were and what we have now become I will tell the others to contact each other because I think we need each other’s combined knowledge of winning this war, you're playing a dangerous game SkekSo be careful do not get yourself burnt”.  
  
“ _I’m a **Skeksis**! Double Dealing is what we do best_!” SkekSo said.  
  
“Don’t I know that? You and I, we led a Rebellion! We convinced _others_ to follow us! Well erm… at least **_tried_** and **failed**! But there is another matter why I called you”.   
  
“ _What’s that_?”.  
  
“Thra has been attacked, it has been drawn into the conflict, The T’ron are pushing for occupation and they don’t have the defences, “UrSu said, “you must have heard it too”.  
  
“ _We did and wondered why_ ,” SkekSo said, _“it seems none of us can escape that world!”  
_  
UrSu said, “we caused it to much damage, we almost destroyed it, so we will always be linked to it that is our burden to bear, which is why UrZah thinks that if it dies, so will we”.  
  
“ _But what can we do about it? We can never go back_ ” he said.  
  
“We can’t,” said UrSu “ and that is the problem”.  
  
“ _Did you send Azshar_?” said SkekSo “ _he was let off and wasn’t banned_?”  
  
“No Azshar is needed here, King Tirellian elected to go and I let him go he said he owed us a debt”.  
  
“ _King Tirellian? The Xanaduen King_!” SkekSo asked amazed.  
  
“And my Xanaduen link, he offered to go so I let him, he wasn’t banned either, he said he owed us a debt for coming for him, the Xanaduens have also gotten themselves a Warfleet, so he and Durnaa’s eldest son went. The UrSkek will not have a problem with him been there, I hope it is enough, Durnaa will send some of Crasolia’s fleet if it isn’t, we are hoping that we can convince Thra to join the Alliance, Tirellian is also an Ambassador”.  
  
“ _I wish him luck then_ ,” Skekso said, “ _he will need it with_ our _people_ ”.  
  
“The Gelfling and the Podlings will help him there,” said UrSu “ and he has friends amongst them and maybe Aughra will too, no matter how far we roam we will always be linked to Thra, that is our burden, the one we must all bear and we know it is in danger”.  
  
SkekSo nodded “ _True_ ” he paused and said, “ _good luck, I will do what I can from_ _here, me, Ung and Zok they have not turned and nor have I but we did what we_ _must to protect the world and ourselves and the world that we have built here, for_ _the Free Colonists of Telgris this is not a penal colony, it is their home, it has become a sanctuary for misfits and exiles, and it is our new kingdom_ ”.  
  
UrSu nodded “very well I will try and keep in better contact, can’t say I will ever like you but it is time we became allies I feel, to be who we were once again in the only way we can, you and I weren’t our Leaders for nothing and I’m the other half of you and I will always be a part of you, together we are _**SoSu**_ , Leader of the Fallen”.   
  
“ _Who is with you on Aristas_ ,” he asked.   
  
“All of us in fact, the UrRu that is and a few of you, most of us settled on Crasolia remember? And like you, we stick together, half of you are on Telgris”.   
  
“ _Look I need to end this call soon, my channel is secure but I don’t know who is watching, these T’ron though they scare even me! We were monsters ourselves once and were pretty bad but these T’ron, they are a warlike race, we were bad enough we caused a war of our own but these T’ron....”.  
_  
UrSu said “ there are worse things than the Skeksis out there , you take care as well, you are in a far more dangerous position then I” he paused “ I will pass your message on”.  
  
SkekSo nodded “ _yes good luck we will be in contact_ ” the communication came to an end and SkekSo’s and UrSu’s symbol appeared on the screen, they both used it they all used their symbols for communications with each other, UrSu wondered if Sil and Sol would use it to represent themselves seeing they were Chosen now, they had a right too, it was SilSol’s symbol.  
  
“ _Always together, forever apart_ ,” UrSu said softly, he had heard UrSol coin the term and wondered if he would use it as a motto, UrSol didn’t realise it or forgot but he too was one of the most powerful amongst them and was now in the position to use that to his advantage.  
  
“They should never have let us go,” UrSu said softly, leaving Durnaa’s ship and found Leah his wife, standing there waiting for him, Leah had also been rejuvenated along with the rest of them but her hair had remained white, she was tall and lean like them but other than that it was hard to tell that she was female at first glance.   
  
“How long have you been waiting?” he asked.   
  
“Not long,” she said smiling “let’s go for a walk”.  
  
“Ok,” he said it had long been a ritual of theirs, UrSu like to think of himself and Leah as a pair of happy retirees enjoying an afternoon stroll, he took one of her hands.  
  
“it’s October” she remmarked then.   
  
“Yes it is,” he said “have you contacted either of our daughters,” he asked he and UrLeah had two daughters and one son (SkekSo had the opposite), it was awkward for them to conceive so they had been happy with what they had gotten, their children had been born UrRu .  
  
It seemed the same applied to UrLii’s daughter; maybe he should put UrTih onto it, seeing he had also found a woman who was of their kind as well.  
  
And then there were Sol and Nova who were two different species and they had five children between them, granted Sol’s children were mostly GT but still that had always been the question and there was also Sil and Queria they also had three children two boys and a girl, who were all mostly Artean seeing Queria was, it seemed that somehow Nature had found a way maybe it was because they were Saurian to some extent, they were warm-blooded but they had Saurian traits to some extent like Dragons.  
  
“Yes,” said Leah “we have to go shopping for them”.  
  
“Ok he said leaning on his walking staff, Ac had made them all new ones, they didn’t need them so much anymore but still UrSu like the comfort of carrying one.  
  



	15. Chilling Out.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Semi Interlude Chapter. 
> 
> UrUtt presents UrIon with a new coat, Az shares a beer with his friend and Xavier my OC Time Lord and UrZah and UrAc discuss things.
> 
> And yes I ship UrIon the Cartographer my OC UrRu with UrSan the Swimmer!!! seeing she's canonically female!

**Several weeks later-Late October 2949 -Aristas**

UrUtt was wandering around trying to find UrIon to present him with his new coat which he had made him and found UrIon sitting on the back veranda of Lodge 10 carving runes into a beautifully crafted bow.  
  


He was tall ( he also had figured out how to shapeshift eventually), tall, lean and lanky with long muscles, he towered over his best friend, with white hair and jade green eyes.  
  
When it came to his shifted appearance, UrIon favoured his UrSkek blood.  
  
UrIon had suffered the same fate along with the rest of them, UrIon the Cartographer he had been known as, his other side SkekTael, had been known as The Scout, due to his status, he had also been pardoned but like Azshar, he had also chosen exile as well.  
  
Like UrAzshar, he was considered one of them.  
  
“Taelion” he called out.  
  
UrIon looked up “been a long time since anyone called me that” he remmarked.  
  
“Arh so you **_do_** remember?” UrUtt asked.   
  
“yes,” he replied, “so does Azshar, hello UrUtt what do you want?”  
  
“Nice bow,” UrUtt said.  
  
UrIon said “thanks, I have just finished building it, not at all sure why though, guess I needed a new one, this war’s got us all tied up in knots” his spirals looked like intricate tattoos which were glowing slightly at the moment.  
  
UrUtt came up and picked it up “it’s well made” he hefted it easily “but balanced to you I can tell” he put it down “I bought you something I just finished it for you”.  
  
“A new _coat_?” he asked amazed.  
  
“It’s like Azshar’s and UrSols, I made it suit you,” he said, “ try it on, you should all just be able to wear it over your clothes like an overcoat, I started to do one for UrSol but ended up doing one for you and Az as well”.  
  
“I noticed that UrSol was wearing one,” said UrIon “I don’t know what to say”.  
  
“Try it on” he urged, “I think I got your measurements right and it made it suit, I made sure of that, so you should still be able to fly while wearing it, if in your Shapeshifted form”, as UrIon like UrSol and Azshar also had a pair of wings if shapeshifted.  
  
UrIon tried it on it was embroidered with his spirals, runes and symbols and it was, of course, a perfect fit and it was made for his wings as well.  
  
“Does it fit well?” UrUtt asked.  
  
“Yes,” he replied “perfectly! This is amazing!”  
  
He nodded “I’ve been working on them for us all, we all needed new coats so I made it a personal project of mine to make us all a new one, I find it relaxing, I’m glad you like it” he sighed “I don’t know why I’m so on edge or maybe I do, I think it is the War we are who we are and it is causing an imbalance! We are not _meant_ for war; it is not us, and we have been drawn into it”.  
  
Ion said “I will treasure your gift, thanks so much! You are right though it is causing an imbalance; I’m a Chosen to these days remember? And serve Suna a nature Goddess, so yes I can feel it too, the whole universe is off-balance, Az feels it too”.  
  
He nodded “I’m glad it fits”.  
  
Ion said “it saddens me to see you feel the need to take up arms again. I’m one of you remember. I agree with Durnaa it is a sad day indeed when the UrRu feel they have to take up arms” he said, “this is a work of art, you have not lost your touch, no matter how much you have changed”.  
  
“I haven’t changed that much I just adapted,” he said, “as have we all”.  
  
Ion nodded “do you want a bow? I can make another one suited to you probably the reason why I made it is because I too feel unbalanced, you weave, I do this....or carve wood or make maps.”   
  
“UrYa paints, UrAc makes walking staffs, UrNol and UrAmaj cook, UrTih locks himself in his lab, UrSol sings and composes music, UrZah makes sand paintings as does UrAc, I weave and make jewellery, UrHom carves wooden figures, UrSu spends **_way_** too much time in front of his computer....” UrUtt trailed off “ yes that is probably why! Argh!” to make his point throwing his upper arms up in the air “I hate this! You know maybe we should have a ceremony or something! I will suggest it to UrZah it’ll give him something to do! We all probably need a calming ceremony or something!”  
  
“I can do that too now, although it feels weird” said UrIon.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Shift back to my UrRu form, so can Azshar, we are Chosen so our forms are changeable but it feels weird”.  
  
UrUtt looked at himself “I weave, but you are right, I weave and you do that... just like UrVa” he indicated the bow he picked it up and looked it over “you're still good”.  
  
UrIon said, “thanks for the new coat.”  
  
“No problem,” said UrUtt.  
  
UrIon sighed “we all are on edge I think, my brothers and I” and then smiled as Azshar Orbed in, in a flash of purple light.  
  
Azshar materialised and handed him a beer “all they had was light” he said then he noticed the coat “Arh so you got one too” he said.   
  
“Yes, UrUtt just gave it to me,” he said.  
  
“Poor guy I think he and the others are also feeling the strain themselves, we are not creatures of war,” Azshar said “but seeing I’m half GT I aren’t feeling it quite so bad” he opened his beer, happy to be just sharing a beer with his best friend and Oath brother.  
  
“Yeah,” he said “I made your bow. I hope I balanced it right” he picked it up and handed it to Azshar “try it out”.  
  
Azshar did so and nodded “perfect,” he noticed the runes carved into it “you were always good at that, wood crafting and shaping almost as good as UrHom, this is amazing”.  
  
UrIon nodded and took a sip of his beer “woodcarving seems to be a talent I share with several of the others”.  
  
Azshar nodded “yeah”.   
  
“Are you Ok Azshar you seem a bit off-balance yourself?”  
  
Azshar sighed “My powers are acting up” he sighed “we have to get a raid together to go investigate the base or whatever it is in the lake and even my, meditations aren’t causing me any ease. There is darkness in the Way, a hole in time and the Balance is askew, I’m feeling it all, and it is driving me nuts”.   
  
“Think we both are,” said UrIon “for different reasons, with the crystal crying out in distress, it is making my UrSkek blood react one of the reasons why I started building things, I think”.  
  
Durnaa nodded “I feel it as keenly as you do, and I’m not as fully UrSkek but I’m a Jedai so I feel it like that” he took a sip of his beer “gee American beer has a lot to answer for! And it was all they had!” he said with a laugh.   
  
“Yeah it does,” said Ion “we both needed one, I think!”  
  
Azshar said “yeah”.  
  
“So how are you handling this Changes business?” he asked.  
  
“The only way you can can’t keep my hands off my wife! And nor can she!” he said with a chuckle “ It’s _embarrassing_!”  
  
Ion said, “I wish I could help you over them or understand but I can’t” his partner was UrSan.  
  
Azshar said, “It’s ok”.  
  
“You seem off-Balance” Ion’s partner was UrSan the Swimmer they had been together a while but had never actually gotten married and had no children.  
  
Az nodded “yeah”.   
  
“I know,” he said, “ I don’t think any of us have ever worked out how UrSol and Nova managed to have five children, not to mention **YOU** with your GT wife!”  
  
Az said, “I am Half GT”.  
  
“ Well, it doesn’t seem to be working for us”.  
  
Azshar shrugged “nature found a way and is it because you can’t or just the chance is lower? I am partially Gt remember.”  
  
“I’m not sure,” Ion said, “I wonder how you both did it”.   
  
“Maybe it will happen you just have to be patient, Nova and UrSol took a while to conceive as well as did Moonlight and I, and as for the other question I don’t know”.  
  
Ion looked thoughtful “perhaps” he sighed “just as well we weren’t trying”.  
  
Az said, “maybe you can get something to help you”.  
  
“Possibly” he said “UrSan and I are happy it is the main thing” he looked at Azshar “your way off balance though, and I can tell your aura is off-balance”.  
  
Azshar said, “like I said this War it is throwing me off balance”.  
  
“Have you tried talking to UrIm?”  
  
Azshar said, “about that....no, I don’t think he would understand, no I’m fine it is just annoying”.  
  
“Ok but you be surprised I think, “said Ion opening another can of beer the chance to sit and have a cold beer with his best friend was one he was happy to do “we are all feeling the strain though, UrUtt said he would talk to UrZah about having a calming ritual or something and I think you are feeling the strain as much as we are”.  
  
“The UrRu answer to everything! _Let’s have a ritual for it_! Oh, he might as well it will give him something to concentrate on and calm him down as well; he is feeling the stress as well! Although he seems to find Xavier the Time Lord a better pupil than Jen ever was” he indicated where Xavier, UrZah and UrAc were discussing a sand-painting that they were working on.  
  
“Yep he’s stressed alright,” said Ion indicating them both “you can tell” he indicated the design.  
  
Azshar nodded “Xavier is a Da-Vinci so he does make a better pupil than Jen or me!” he looked at the painting “he is stressed though”.  
  
“You were always strange,” said Ion with a grin “you were one of us but you also weren’t, and to some extent neither was I, I think UrZah likes having a pupil even if he is a Time Lord from Gallifrey”.  
  
Azshar looked at the painting “he is seeking an answer, you can tell from the symbolism an answer he does not know how to find”.  
  
“ _Hmm_ ,” said Ion, “he is depicting a battle”.

“And a journey,” Azshar said, you can tell from the lines and a union of some sort” showing that he still understood the UrRu, Az opened his wings “I’m going down for a closer look” and flew off the veranda.  
  
“ _Don’t fall out of the sky UrAzshar_ ” quoted Ion to himself, Az had always had his wings although they had been wings of light which he had seemed to be able to make disappear and reappear at will, he hadn’t always been able to fly though but he could glide and still was very good at doing so, he used to go gliding in the air currents and had grown quite adept at it, UrIon joined his friend.  
  
Azshar landed on his spread wings and refolded them under his coat and joined UrZah, UrAc and Xavier, UrZah was doing the sandpainting.  
  
“So you are depicting a battle,” said Xavier as he came up.  
  
“A battle that is yet to come” UrAc replied softly as not to disturb his comrade.  
  
Xavier nodded “the Scorpionoids or the T’ron” he indicated a symbol “and this?”  
  
“A union,” said UrAc.  
  
“An alliance?”  
  
“Yes”.  
  
Xavier nodded “there is that symbol you all use” he indicated an image of the crystal.  
  
UrZah stopped chanting and said “the symbol for Thra, the world will light up and try to protect itself” he indicated another symbol “minor conjunction”.  
  
Xavier nodded “I get it the symbol of your homeworld, this is the enemy” he indicated more symbols “that is your world” he indicated the crystal symbol “and that represents Conjunction.”  
  
“Three suns” said UrZah “and three or four moons.”  
  
“I know,” said Xavier “ it’s a wonder it _wasn’t_ a desert! Although neither was Gallifrey, although it was a bit dry admittingly and cold at times, your homeworld has been drawn into the conflict and you are trying to suss out its fate”.  
  
“Thra isn’t our homeworld,” UrAc said, “not originally anyway”.  
  
“I thought it was at first,” said Xavier “seeing you seem linked to it”.   
  
“It wasn’t,” said UrAc as UrZah resumed chanting and his work “but it was for many years, not to mention we almost destroyed it, so yes we will bear the link forever, it is our shame and we are the Fallen”.  
  
Xavier nodded “I know.”  
  
UrAc continued, “we are from elsewhere, we were alien”.  
  
Xavier nodded “I see but you are still linked to it like I am to Gallifrey”.   
  
“Yes,” said UrAc ‘you are indeed proving a apt student, Time Lord, no wonder UrZah likes you” he poured tea from a kettle and stirred it.  
  
UrAc suffered a bit from anaemia so he often drank an iron-rich tea he had gotten UrNol to make for him, he offered a cup to Xavier who took one.  
  
Xavier said, “you have a rich language and culture that is interesting”.   
  
He looked at him he had gotten to know both the Scribe and the Ritual Guardian of the UrRu and now considered them friends although he still had to admit they were the strangest creatures he ever did see.  
  
They had told him that they were no longer as they were, but they were all lean and lanky, not humanoid, far from that they just looked heavy and weighed down due to the way they dressed.  
  
They had four arms which they seemed to wield well and skilfully as he watched the Ritual Guardian work on the painting.  
Several weeks later-Late October 2949 -Aristas

Xavier said, “I find your symbolism and your culture interesting like I said you have a rich culture and language and you were a technologically advanced race, much like the Time Lords were…”.  
  
“We _were_ ,” said UrZah, then looking up.  
  
“Still are, just different,” said UrAc, he was writing something down on a piece of parchment.  
  
“Your also Telepathic?” Xavier said.  
  
“To an extent, some of us are stronger than others,” UrZah said indicating UrAc “he is one of the stronger ones I’m one of the others, none of us realised just how strong until we left Thra”.  
  
UrAc said, “I didn’t think much of it”.  
  
UrZah stopped and looked at his painting “Though I need more orange sand be back in a moment” he walked off in a slightly swaying gait, carrying his walking staff, which Xavier noticed that they all carried.  
  
Xavier looked at the painting “you know he is good at this, this is a work of art once you understand the symbolism”.  
  
UrAc nodded “I know” he had to admit that he and UrZah were enjoying having a student who asked the correct questions and listened and had come to consider the Time Lord a friend “what made you become what do you call it? A Da-Vinci? Who was Da-Vinci? I assume he was someone”.  
  
“He was an earth artist he also was into symbolism and that as well and he designed things one of the original engines in fact,” Xavier said, “like I said I’m an Artificer that is why I find you so fascinating”.  
  
UrAc nodded “I have to read a bit more about Earth’s history, this ‘ _Da-Vinci_ ’ has me intrigued, I admit I don’t have a lot of knowledge about Earth’s history, I barely leave Crasolia because I get bad space-sickness, space travel makes me queasy and I hate transporters” he was standing up on his hind legs he was one of the smaller of them all so he wasn’t quite as tall as UrZah when he did that and Xavier was sitting down, he was leaning on his staff but not heavily, it seemed more habitual rather than necessary.  
  
“I could loan you some books” offered Xavier.   
  
“That sounds like a good idea,” said UrAc “I like to read” he indicated the scrolls “ _obviously_ ”.


	16. Discussions and Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The UrRu and Xavier my OC Timelord discuss the Sand painting that UrZah is doing and the UrRu show Xavier just how the UrRu can sing!

“So how go the lessons?” said a voice as Azshar landed on his spread wings with Ion not far behind him.  
  
UrAc looked at Azshar and remmarked “he is a much better student than you ever were or Jen!”  
  
Xavier chuckled “ _hmm_ yeah”.   
  
“I wasn’t one of you,” Azshar said “ well not really, my mind worked differently although I know enough to know what you are trying to find and that you are worried” he indicated the sand painting “ you want to know what _**will**_ happen”.  
  
UrZah came back “there I knew I had more orange sand! Hello” as he spied Azshar and Ion.  
  
Azshar said “hello”.  
  
“So that’s what this means then?” Xavier asked looking at the scrolls “three concentric circles in a triangle, _hmm_ I have seen this before, looks like a joining of something?”  
  
UrZah said “that’s the....”.   
  
“It’s the symbol of the Great Conjunction” Az spoke then “it is one of our more prevalent symbols, three suns come together as one, happens every thousand years or so, it is quite a sight it is how the planet regenerates itself, we all have the rune on our coats, it’s going to happen again soon in about 50 years or so around the turn of the century”.  
  
“I noticed those,” said Xavier as Az took his off and handed it to Xavier.  
  
Xavier looked at it “these are _amazing_ , all hand-woven too! You all have one I noticed, and no two is alike, what’s this symbol?”  
  
Az said “that was my symbol, well one of them. Like I said I wasn’t originally one of them but I did live amongst them for a very long time, but as you can see, they are all different”.

“I can see that,” he said as Az put his coat back on, underneath he was wearing Jedai style trousers and tunic and the coat over the top it was cold!  
  
“That is quite intricate work though,” said Xavier indicating the coat as he admired the artistry.  
  
Az said ‘so let’s discuss it then” he indicated the sandpainting “what are you seeing?” he asked UrZah.  
  
UrZah said “danger” he stood up.  
  
“We know Thra has been attacked,” said UrAc “we can all feel it” he indicated the painting “however the planet isn’t as defenceless as we thought it was” he indicated the crystal symbol which had been depicted with lines radiating from it, “I think the Crystal will protect Thra for a while at least”.  
  
UrZah nodded “I saw the crystal light up and lines radiate from it, that goes to the upper atmosphere the planet had a minor conjunction. Something happened then”.  
  
Azshar nodded “yes I saw it too” he frowned “weren’t you and a couple of the others discussing something like that before the Separation? You were basing it on the mirror device that you were rigging up to catch the light of the conjunction which you hoped that would get us home, which is how I got involved with it in the first place, hoping you could get us home too, I was as willing a participant as you were in that area, because I too wanted to get home by then and tell _everyone_ what we had _seen_!, so you needn’t feel bad about getting me involved as well, I too wanted to get home the Skeksis never did it though did they?”  
  
“No they didn’t,” said UrZah “although I can remember the conversation, TekTih started it, and we all put in it and we started to work on some designs”.  
  
Azshar indicated the sandpainting “maybe they perfected it” he paused then continued “I can remember getting into a discussion about the magic if I remember correctly, how we could use it to boost the power”.  
  
Xavier listened to this in amazement but UrIon spoke then “you can remember that”.  
  
Azshar nodded “yes, I can like I sometimes said all it takes is a word or a phrase”.  
  
“That’s possible,” said UrAc “they had held the planet since we left maybe they found our designs”.  
  
“They have” said Xavier “ we were helping them develop it more”.  
  
“And one of the suggestions I made was that we make manmade monoliths to channel the Leylines as well, as they do on Talafran,” said Azshar “if I remember correctly”.   
  
“You’re a _Scientist_ as well Azshar?” Xavier asked amazed.  
  
“No but I know enough of stuff like that, that and my interfacing talent, Research was my thing” Azshar said “ magic and science, not so different”.  
  
“We agreed on that although we said it would take some time to get something like that done, we thought we had it,” said UrAc “ _hmm_ ”.  
  
“Hang on we’ll get UrTih over here,” said Azshar spying UrTih and waving him over.  
  
UrTih joined them and looked at the sandpainting “you saw this?” he asked.  
  
“Yes,” said UrZah “we are discussing the meaning of the image, they have found the design we were discussing before the Separation, one you initiated”.  
  
UrTih nodded “I remember that one; we never got it pass discussion stage though all I know is that there is a fight above Aristas at the moment as a lot of our communications are knocked out or malfunctioning”.  
  
Az nodded “I was sensing that, there is a great disturbance in the Way”.  
  
“The Xanaduens are helping with the fight,” he said, “Rasscerain told me I came to tell you, so you can pass it onto Durnaa, who seems to have _vanished_ again”.  
  
“Thanks,” Az said “he’ll be back Zilna wanted him for something, he’s left his ship in orbit in case any of us needed it”.  
  
Az had long served as Durnaa’s Aide, and was his closest friend, although he _wasn’t_ his Prime Chosen.  
  
UrTih looked at the sand-painting “if that is true, the planet is defended at the moment but it will need to recharge if they followed our design”.  
  
“You’re a Scientist?” Xavier asked UrTih although that made sense, Tina had said that he was.  
  
“Yes,” said UrTih “I don’t think we have been formally introduced though. I’m UrTih the UrRu scientist although they call me _Alchemist_ ” he offered out a hand Xavier took it.  
  
“Xavier Asturen,” he said.  
  
“Your one of the Time Lords,” UrTih said with a nod as he joined them.  
  
“Yes,” Xavier said, “you _fascinate_ me, it seems to me that you all have some _knowledge_ of the Sciences”.  
  
“I guess we do,” said UrTih “we were originally a technologically advanced race compared to those of Thra, it is why we caused such a huge impact”.  
  
Xavier said, “I’m a Time Lord so Science has always ruled my race to some extent; I thought you all were, I don’t know more _mystical_ , but you all seem to have some knowledge of the Sciences and I’m _impressed_ ”.  
  
“They called us _the Mystics_ ,” said UrZah then “and a few less savoury names, Soul-Stealers for one, we are the UrRu that is our proper name”.  
  
“Soul-Stealers?” said Xavier “why?”  
  
“They said we stole souls with our voices,” said UrZah “ we were used as a means to scare children into been good, not at first but over time we became creatures of tales and legends, due to the Skeksis spreading lies about us”.  
  
“ _Serious!”_ said Xavier.  
  
“yes,” he said.   
  
“Gosh,” said Xavier.  
  
UrZah shrugged “it was so”.  
  
Xavier said “ but that seems.... _wrong_! I can tell that you are creatures of Good, mind you some of the things _Time Lords_ have been called....” he paused “I find you fascinating, I’m 700 plus years old and have been a great many places and have seen many strange races, but you are _one_ of the strangest!”  
  
UrZah said, “I’m glad you chose to befriend us Xavier”.  
  
Xavier said, “you aren’t a relic, and you’re not so bad”.  
  
UrZah nodded and a faint smile (rare on him) crossed his gentle, wise face “at least you understand”.  
  
Xavier said, “as I said, I find you fascinating, but stealing souls with your voices, some races can do that but how did you get that reputation?”  
  
“Like this,” said UrZah he turned to Azshar, “care to join us Azshar? UrIon?”  
  
“Yes,” said Azshar “seeing I can do it with the best of you”.   
  
“Ok,” said UrZah “this is how we got that reputation as wrong as it was, professor Xavier” and with a pause, he started to sing (well chant really) a wordless chant but filled with power, UrAc and UrTih took it up and so did Azshar and Ion, and UrSol joined them, looking for Azshar.  
  
Xavier paused in amazement as he listened to the pure sound, it was beautiful! Led by UrZah and then UrSol took over.  
  
Xavier was amazed at the sound and the power he felt behind it, the area resounded with the sound and he felt the magic within it, he just sat in silence not wanting to miss a moment of such beauty and power, and he realised that the UrRu could sing, it sung of loss, loneliness, hope it was a moment of perfect beauty.  
  
After a while they stopped singing one by one until only UrSol’s voice remained it was loud and deep and when he had finished, Xavier gasped at the loss of magic he felt.  
  
“Wow!” was all he could manage.  
  
“That is why we got that reputation,” UrZah said.  
  
“You can sing!” Xavier said astounded “I ...never _heard_ anything like that before, that was a moment of perfect beauty”.   
  
“Oughta hear all of us together!” UrSol said then he turned to UrZah “but no not all of us can sing so beautifully, _see_! I haven’t lost it!”  
  
“No you haven’t,” said UrZah then “I realise that now, that is why I gave the lead over to you Chanter, I apologise, but that is why we got that reputation _Time Lord_!”  
  
“That was amazing! Said Xavier” I’d like to hear you all one day. That was a moment of perfect beauty”.  
  
UrSol said “fill me in here I just came looking for Az. I just automatically joined in”.  
  
“Xavier wondered why we were called Soul-Stealers,” said UrZah “ I was showing him why”.  
  
UrSol nodded “arh yeah” he looked at Xavier “you know you are the first non-UrSkek who can learn our language! Apart from Durnaa and that is largely due to Az!”  
  
Xavier nodded “I’m still learning”.  
  
UrSol continued “I know but you are the first non-UrSkek apart from Durnaa who can even get a gist of it, not even Jen could, we deemed it too difficult for him to learn, but you....”.  
  
Xavier shrugged “ _I’m_ a Time Lord! Languages is one of our specialties! ”

Sol then asked, “ _how_ _are you_?” he added in UrSkek, and then Sol asked him a few more questions, Xavier answered in the same tongue somewhat haltingly and with a soft Scottish sounding accent, but he had been learning.  
  
UrSol then dropped back into Universal “well done” he said.  
  
“You are aliens, aren’t you?” Xavier asked.  
  
“Yes,” said UrZah, proud of his student.  
  
“So _am_ I,” said Xavier “judging by this I’m as alien as you are, we aren’t native to this universe either,”.  
  
“You look human, though!” said UrZah.  
  
“I know,” said Xavier “but we often say humans look like us!”


	17. Battle-stations- Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group go up to see what is going on when they become aware that there is a attack above the planet. And get involved in the fight over Aristas.
> 
> For SkekSil and UrSol fans ( like I am) this is a good chapter for them both, although it is probably not the greatest idea to put SkekSil the Chamberlain on a gun Turret!

UrSol then said, “Azshar, Aristas is getting attacked, and the communications are down, I know you’ve been left in charge while Durnaa’s absent so you can pass messages on to him”.  
  
“UrTih just told me,” said Azshar.  
  
“Ok,” said UrSol he looked at the sand-painting “we all got that image”.  
  
UrZah said, “we think that they perfected that design we were discussing”.  
  
“Ouch!” UrSol said, “which means they probably aren’t in immediate danger at the moment, not like we are....” he pointed to the sky “they are attacking above Aristas at the moment, the Xanaduens are engaging in combat with them it is going to be a long night!”

Azshar nodded “I know”.  
  
“I was wondering if you wanted to go join them seeing Durnaa’s left us his personal ship in case we needed it,” said UrSol over the last few years they had all been involved within a few firefights with the enemy in Durnaa’s ship so as a result, UrSol had gotten quite adept at flying it, he refused to use the guns due to his nature but had gotten quite good at piloting and found that he _enjoyed_ piloting.  
  
UrZah frowned “we are not creatures of war UrSol it is not our place”.   
  
“True it isn’t,” said UrSol “but you can’t deny that we have been drawn into an intergalactic war and you know it as well as I do, that we even know how to fight if we have too!”  
  
“UrSols gotten quite good at flying Durnaa’s ship,” said Az “ he refuses to touch the weapons but we've been in a few firefights and he’s often taken over the piloting, Ion, Durnaa and I do the fighting, so do Nova and Ajeea, “ he turned to UrSol “you don’t have to do this UrSol”.  
  
UrSol nodded “I know, but I want to, besides your gonna need a pilot”.  
  
UrZah said, “the fields of battle are not our place!”  
  
UrSol said “I don’t fight I _pilot_! As Az said, I refuse to use the weapons, but I do pilot! And I have gotten good at it”.  
  
“I’ll come,” said UrTih “not too bad a pilot myself these days”.  
  
UrSol said, “you might have trouble sitting in the cockpit but fair enough”.  
  
“I’m under no such compunctions, as much as I hate to admit it I do have some war experience,” said Xavier “need an extra hand on the ship,?”  
  
“Ok,” said Az and they all went to Durnaa’s personal Cruiser, Ajeea and Nova were already there.  
  
“We going up?” Ajeea asked.  
  
“Yep,” said Az.  
  
“Tanla? And Trumea?” UrSol asked Nova.  
  
“With their Uncle UrSu,” Nova said.  
  
UrSol nodded and touched Nova’s belly “you sure about this?”  
  
Nova smiled “I’m sure I’ve been in a firefight before while pregnant”.  
  
“Ok,” said UrSol as SkekSil joined them.  
  
“SkekSil?” UrZah asked.   
  
“I’ve also gotten good at piloting Durnaa’s ship, as well as my own” the Skeksis, said, “not to mention using the guns, I’m under no such compunctions remember, you are the passive side remember? We were not and I’m as much Durnaa’s brother in law as UrSol is”.  
  
“Well Ok,” said UrZah as Az entered the ship.  
  
“SkekSil’s right,” said Azshar “ok SkekSil man the front turret you fit better in there”.  
  
SkekSil nodded and adjusted his robes, he still dressed like a Skeksis only his clothes were in better condition these days and not mouldering the Skeksis still like their decadent finery though, SkekSil also carried quite often these days a rather elaborately made walking staff due to the fact he walked with a limp.  
  
“Coming UrZah?” Az added “you too UrAc?” as the Scribe followed him up the ramp.  
  
UrAc said, “I know I’m going to regret this, and I don’t like it much either, but ok”.   
  
“I’ll take the other gun,” said UrIon “you and UrSol can pilot”.  
  
Az said, “very well” like UrSol he preferred to pilot.  
  
“How many are on the ship,” UrZah asked.  
  
“The two large ones and the phasers, they're controlled from the console,” Az said, “this is not a battlecruiser, he bought it for his personal use , but it does have defences though”.  
  
UrZah said, “I was afraid that it was”.  
  
Azshar said “he bought it for his use, seeing he no longer has Shunshu it’s his ship! What do you take him for? He’s a God of Justice not of War, it is also Psionically sensitive” he took his seat in the cockpit and UrSol sat next to him in the Co-Pilots position.  
  
“Ok start-up,” said Az pushing buttons.  
  
“ _Yes, Azshar,_ ” said the ships AI, Sena her name was, UrZah jumped, Az said “relax! It’s only the AI what ship doesn’t have them these days? Manual control Sena please”.  
  
“ _yes, UrAzshar,_ ” she said.  
  
Az spoke into the intercom “you all ready? SkekSil, UrIon?”  
  
“yes” came both voices.  
  
“Take her up,” he said as he and UrSol worked in unison lifting the ship off the landing area the ship was small enough to land.  
  
“Take a seat everyone” UrSol called out “it can get a bit bumpy once we hit the upper atmosphere, this isn’t the Shunshu nor a luxury liner, thrusters on Az,” he said to him and pushed some more toggles.  
  
By now he and UrSol had the ship up in the air as UrSol had said he had gotten quite good at piloting and Az trusted him as his co-pilot, Durnaa had been quite surprised by how easily his peace-loving, pacific UrRu brother in law had taken to the role as well as SkekSil.  
  
There was a flash of light and Sunlazer appeared “you going up” Durnaa’s cousin asked.  
  
“Sunlazer!” Az said, “thought you went with Durnaa!”  
  
“I didn’t,” said Sunlazer “I was on the communicator, and I saw the news” Sunlazer could also fly Durnaa’s ship.  
  
Sunlazer took a seat next to UrZah and UrAc “hi, “he said.  
  
Ajeea took the front phasers and said: “I noticed that you were”.  
  
Sunlazer said, “yeah I was talking to Zilna catching up on what is happening on Crasolia, and something happened to that planet you all used to live on....”.  
  
“Thra,” said Azshar.  
  
“Yes, Thra got attacked and get this! It took out **two** T’ron Battle-Cruisers! A huge light flared up from the planet and caught them and blew them up! It was like the planet itself reached out and attacked them and then there was that sound!”  
  
“The crystal!” UrZah said “they have perfected our design! And used it!”  
  
“Sure sounds like it,” Az said.  
  
UrZah turned to Sunlazer “did you see it?”  
  
“Only some of it, then the communicator went out,” said Sunlazer “but that sound!”  
  
“Did it sound like this?” said UrSol and he started to sing a haunting tune which both UrZah and UrAc took up and Azshar.   
  
“Will you lot stop that!” SkekSil scolded “the sound. Make it stop! My ears hurt! _Hssss_! Ouch!”  
  
The sound echoed and then vanished away, and Sunlazer said: “yes something like that, only higher pitched it made my ears hurt too”.  
  
“The Crystal, The Heart of Thra,” UrZah said, “they must have perfected it then, the planet is not as undefended as we thought, especially if they have done that”.   
  
“You guys can _sing_?” Sunlazer asked he had to admit he didn’t know the UrRu as well as he would have liked, despite Azshar having served his cousin for so long.  
  
“We are the UrRu our power is in our voices” UrZah replied, “it has always been thus”.   
  
“I’m still UrRu where it counts, and so is Azshar,” UrSol said he started to hum using his power to steady their incline, over the years he had learnt to use his voice in interesting ways.  
  
SkekSil came out of his gun turret “I hate it when you do that?”  
  
“Do what?” UrSol said.  
  
“Sing!” SkekSil said, “you know what it does to us!”  
  
UrSol smiled “sorry”.   
  
“But aren’t you two linked or something?” Sunlazer asked.   
  
“Yes! Unfortunately! ”SkekSil replied, “he’s the other part of me which probably explains it!”  
  
UrSol chuckled “sorry SkekSil”.  
  
SkekSil said “don’t do it ok! You know what it does to us!”  
  
UrSol said “Ok” as he climbed back into the gun turret.  
  
Sunlazer said, “that must be so weird, forced apart but still linked as if one”.  
  
UrSol said, “it is one of the reasons we couldn’t stand each other for so long, Darkside, Lightside, light and dark, law and chaos, it took us ages to realise that we still need each other!”  
  
Sunlazer said, “as a God, I can understand that but gee it must be weird!”  
  
UrSol said, “do you know the _full_ story behind us, Sunlazer?”  
  
“Not all of it” Sunlazer admitted.  
  
“Me Neither” said Xavier, sending a message to his kids who were in his Tardis, where he was, and asking them not to follow but to keep watch on things.  
  
“We will have to tell you the full story one-day,” UrSol said, “ok switch to single-pilot we’re in orbit, powering up turrets and phasers, I will take on single pilot so it leaves Az free to do what he needs, we are going to run into some enemies soon, so power up shields”.  
  
“ _Yes UrSol,_ ” said Sena .  
  
UrSol nodded and settling himself and pulled his coat over himself. He settled into for a long flight.  
  
“You right to do the piloting on your own?” Azshar asked.  
  
“Yes,” said UrSol.   
  
“You pilot the ship like you were born to it” UrAc remmarked amazed.  
  
UrSol nodded “I got Durnaa to show me how to fly it, I refuse to use the guns but I do know how to fly it”.  
  
“ _Tracking enemy craft,”_ said Sena.  
  
“How far away?” Azshar asked.  
  
“ _Not far but if you do want to join the fight I suggest we head in that direction,_ ” said Sena.   
  
“It is near one of Aristas’s moons” SkekSil’s voice came from his turret over the intercom “, and there is a bit of action near one of Aristas’s sister planets, Aktana that is where the fighting is?”  
  
“Ok head in that direction,” Azshar said “Scorp or T’ron”.   
  
“Scorpion” said SkekSil.  
  
“head in that direction then,” Azshar said his eyes flashed briefly “we will blow them out of the sky!” noone knew, not even Azshar himself (he couldn’t remember) why he _hated_ the Scorpions so much although they all knew he did, it _wasn’t_ the T’ron he was angry with.   
  
When it came to the Scorpions, Azshar could be as cold as ice.   
  
Azshar had a counterpart like the rest of them, his Skeksis, SkekDurn, who was fully capable of using the more destructive side of the Way and magic, who had vanished mysteriously some years ago, yet they didn’t know whether he was still alive or not, (UrSol had managed to shield SkekSil from the worse effects of their illness and Az and his counterpart had quite possibly had learnt to shield one another to some extent as well, UrTih and UrIm both said that they were evolving), and maybe they had been the cause, but Azshar hated them with a passion it showed up in his burning eyes, whatever the Scorpion (or maybe to his counterpart) had done to him it had been personal.  
  
“Azshar....” said UrSol feeling concern for his friend, UrAzshar was quite powerful and he could feel it coming off him at the moment.  
  
Azshar sighed “just head in that direction we will take them out of the sky”.  
  
He sat down and bought his emotions under control, Azshar could not even remember **why** he hated the Scorpion so much but it scared him somewhat at his reaction to them all he knew that he felt a deep burning hatred for them within his soul when it came to them, he was at his darkest.  
  
“ _Darkside. Lightside_ ” he said to himself kind of like a prayer “ _do not fall out of the Sky UrAzshar_ ” he added softly.   
  
“Arh so you do remember?” UrSol asked then.  
  
“I do,” said Azshar “did you think I had _forgotten_? The war has bought it back. My emotions are going haywire If I remember you guys used to say that to me all the time”.   
  
“Until the day you did fall out of the sky and didn’t die,” said UrSol, “I think we realised then that you were at the very least, hard to kill” he smiled “ didn’t stop you though, you healed and got right back up there again, _Magician_ , think it was about that time UrSu sent you to Aughra for a few years”.  
  
UrAzshar said “I don’t think so much about it now, but yes I do remember” he sighed “I wish I knew why the Scorpions caused such a reaction in me though, I’m at my darkest then”.  
  
UrSol said, “can’t help you there brother”.   
  
“Maybe it is because of SkekDurn,” Azshar said, “ I _can’t_ remember why”.  
  
UrSol said “calm Azshar,” he said as he altered the ship's course “we don’t know what happened to your Counterpart, maybe it was the Scorpion, and it is _Durn’s_ feelings you feel we can do that to one another remember? As UrVah and SkekMal will tell you”.  
  
UrAzshar said “yeah”.  
  
UrSol continued “you always had your wings though, only they were made of energy and weren’t always visible but they were there, you couldn’t fly but you could glide and grew quite adept at it, you were one of the smaller of us, and you never seemed to age, you got good at it especially when you used the natural currents and built a device to boost your gliding”.  
  
“Wings of light,” said UrAzshar “they were wings of light; I could make them disappear and reappear although I didn’t know why I could”.  
  
UrSol said, “you were one of us”.  
  
UrAzshar said “true”.  
  
UrSol asked, “are you going to be alright?”  
  
Azshar nodded “I hate the Scorpions with a passion but I can’t remember why I do, but maybe it is _not_ me, maybe it is Durn…I’m not sure”.  
  
“ ** _Hate_** is a strong word,” said UrSol.  
  
“It is hate,” Azshar said.  
  
“Oh,” he said, “you know if I wasn’t driving this ship and we weren’t in battle, you know where I would be?” Trying to take his mind off it.  
  
Azshar asked, “where?”  
  
“With Nova” he replied.  
  
Azshar smiled “it will pass, it is where I want to be, with Moonie”.  
  
“I’m not supposed to feel this way though! I’m _UrRu_!” UrSol said.  
  
“You're also mostly male and madly in love with Durnaa’s sister and soulbonded to her,” said Azshar.   
  
“I hope so,” he said, “it’s _distracting_!”  
  
Azshar said “it will “ he sat back in his seat and closed his eyes using his Adept senses to sense where the enemy was and to see if he could pinpoint them and calm himself and then said, “Ajeea hand the phasers over to me I can use my Jedai senses to pinpoint where to shoot”.  
  
“Ok,” said Azshar swapping seats with him.  
  
UrZah said, “uh, Az?”  
  
Azshar looked at him, his eyes burning “they _are_ the enemy” he said quietly ‘do not **get** in my way _UrZah_!” he added.  
  
UrSol held up a hand sensing a conflict between Azshar and the Ritual Master “leave him to it Zah, Azshar is not fully UrRu but nor is he fully Gorta-Trellian he is both and is not under our limitations”.   
  
“As I have said UrZah I’m Chosen of the God of Justice not of War, but I’m also a Jedaini,” Azshar said, “UrIon, SkekSil on my word start shooting!”  
  
“Got that,” SkekSil said, “just point me in the right direction”.  
  
“I can see them,” said Ion.   
  
“Nor does Ion it seems,” UrZah said “but then....” he paused “should we have expected them too? Is there anything I can do?”  
  
“ _Pray_?” Sunlazer suggested.  
  
“ _Just don’t sing_!” SkekSil said.  
  
UrTih sat at one of the scanners “there is one near Aristas’s second moon”.  
  
“head in that direction then,” Azshar said his voice calm but deadly.  
  
UrTih looked at Azshar slightly surprised at his friend's tone of voice, his eyes burnt violet fire, he knew Azshar had a temper, but this calmness worried him.  
  
“Az, “he said tentatively.   
  
“Don’t get in his way, ” UrSol said then, knowing better than his comrades, Azshar’s mood at the moment, he **understood** Anger better than some of them.  
  
He’d also hadn’t been married to Nova Midnite for this long without learning a few things on his own “Azshar isn’t UrRu not at the moment he is at the moment Chosen of the God of Justice do not get in his way, and I suspect it is not only Az feeling that, he is possibly channelling a bit of Durn, we don’t know what happened to SkekDurn _remember_?” UrSol said and without realising his own eyes flashed a bit too.  
  
“UrSol,” said UrZah “your eyes”.  
  
UrSol said, “like I said do not get in the way, SkekSil you ready?”  
  
“ _Yes_ ,” SkekSil said “ _which moon do you want me to aim at_?” amazed at the fact that he and UrSol seemed to be on the same wavelength at the moment.   
  
“Aristas’s smaller moon,” said Azshar then “that is where they are hiding using the atmosphere to shield themselves, it is not one of the bigger warships we couldn’t take down one of the bigger and heavily armed battleships on our own but it is one of the smaller more lightly armoured ones, that is why we will blow it out of the sky, that is what we can take out of the sky”.  
  
“ _Ok_ ,” said SkekSil “ _just tell me when to start firing_ ”.  
  
UrZah said, “it is a dangerous time indeed when you put a **Skeksis** on a gun turret even if is only SkekSil but still...”.  
  
“ _What you mean ‘_ **only** **SkekSil** **’** _?”_ he said _“you don’t consider_ me _important, Hmm_! _UrZah you_ know _better than that_!”  
  
“Whoa!” said UrSol then “SkekSil happens to be **my** other side UrZah! and he has been a great help to us all over the last few years!”  
  
Azshar sighed “this is why it is not a good idea to have you and a _Skeksis_ in the same room!” this was aimed at UrZah.  
  
UrSol said “SkekSil fire when Az says to do so” he pushed a few buttons and pulled a lever aiming for the moon, he had gotten quite good at piloting Durnaa’s ship in the last few years and found he enjoyed doing so.  
  
“SkekSil and UrSol,” said UrZah softly “you two are truly one again”.  
  
“When it counts yes, we are!” said UrSol “ok hold SkekSil!”  
  
“ _Ouch,”_ said UrIon from the other turret “ _that was close_!”  
  
“What’s up?” Az asked.  
  
“ _Their fighting not far from here Az we almost got hit by a stray piece of shrapnel_ ” UrIon replied, “ _if it weren’t for UrSol’s excellent piloting we would have been hit!”  
_  
Azshar nodded “take us into the moon's orbit and its shadow and we will make our stand there”.  
  
“Ok,” said UrSol his hands moving expertly over the panel, humming a little as he used his magic to steady them.  
  
UrZah asked, “how are you doing that?”  
  
UrSol said “music has always been my talent as has my voice, I have learnt how to carry it further over the years, you know our people wouldn’t even recognise us now! We are now stronger than they!”  
  
“They barely recognised us when we got rejoined again, originally” said UrAc then “I agree with the rest of you, they should never have let us go!”  
  
“ _Bah! What do_ they _know_?” SkekSil scoffed “ _weaklings! We’re the stronger ones now!_ Us _! The Exiles! The outcasts! The_ Heretics _! And one day they will see that! we_ are _the greatest folly of them all!”  
_  
UrZah said, “SkekSil surely you don’t mean that.... or maybe you _**do**_ ”.  
  
SkekSil said “ _look at it this way UrZah! We did what we were told we followed orders_ _and what happened! **Separated**!_ _But they_ still _didn’t want us! Our people didn’t want us! And held us as virtual prisoners on our homeworld and when we were given a chance to leave we all took it! And some years_ _ago, they decided to contact us after centuries of Silence and to make our sentence official, got us to sign a Covenant and then what_? _They let us_ go _! Durnaa’s right we have been made all the dangerous, we_ _are_ _the greatest folly of them all!”  
_  
“The truth is,” said UrSol then surprising them all with his next words, “I think they were **afraid** of us, we had been exiled so long we were no longer part of the collective and never could be again, we had all become to individual we’d been away for too long, we are the stronger ones now”.  
  
“Yeah, there were only 9 of us left then, not counting Az and Ion,” said UrZah with a sigh.  
  
UrTih said, “ would have been eight if Durn hadn’t saved Tek, They sent us there to die and then they decided that they still didn’t want us!”  
  
“Yes,” said UrZah “you are right. We were sent there to die and be forgotten, why do you think we left? We had nowhere else to go!”  
  
“ _Our people deserted us!”_ SkekSil continued “ _I think we_ all _have a right to be a little embittered about it! You and Us!”_ he paused and continued “ _look I know what you UrRu say but quite frankly I think we all have the right to feel embittered and deserted ok it was our fault admittingly at first, it was probably more than we deserved, but we did what we were told and we were **still** deceived! You have as much right to feel embittered as we do Zah and one day we will make them pay, Azshar targeting can I shoot_?”  
  
Azshar nodded “shoot! Aim high; we don’t want to hit the moon if we can help it, there may be a colony or something on it, there is something down there I can feel it”.  
  
UrTih said, “that’s odd it says here that Aristas’s smaller moon has nothing on it”.

“it doesn’t?” Azshar asked.  
  
“Well if it does it is not official, could be a mining outpost or something or a base of some sort that is off the record if you know what I mean,” he said.  
  
“There is _something_ down there,” said Azshar “and it’s not the enemy! Well not that I can tell anyway! Possibly a mining colony or something it does have high Virillium levels, kind of like Earth’s moon, aim high we don’t want to hit the moon or activate any defences it may have”.  
  
UrZah said, “Azshar I don’t like this”.  
  
“it’s a war Zah and we've been drawn into it,” said Azshar he looked at him “I did warn you, you are one of the most unchanged out of us all and I respect your feelings but if we don’t shoot, they will! Look away if you must, say a prayer for it if you will, look upon it as protecting what is on that moon if it makes you feel better” he put a hand on UrZah’s shoulder “I’m sorry old friend”.  
  
UrAc spoke then “ well if your gonna do something do it soon, we got a lot of ships coming in for us” he stood up “ about 30 I say, do you need a hand with the piloting, UrSol can’t promise I’ll be any good but I can try!”  
  
“No,” said UrSol.  
  
“Ok,” said UrAc “SkekSil fire!” that took everyone by surprise the quiet scribe, saying that, even ** _UrZah_ **looked astounded.  
  
“ _UrAc_!” SkekSil said, amazed.   
  
“Well they're about to fire at **us**!” he said indicating with his walking staff.  
  
“True,” said Azshar “fire at will SkekSil! UrIon!” as both cannons went off at the same time.


	18. Battle Stations- Part Two!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All I can say about this Chapter is don't annoy the UrRu!! and not expect to get burnt. 
> 
> Go the UrRu!
> 
> Here the UrRu prove just what they can do with their songs as the battle continues!
> 
> This is also another good Chapter for SkekSil and UrSol.
> 
> This is also the end of Part Two, so stay tuned, Part three uploading soon!

  
“it is a bad day indeed when it comes to this,” said UrZah then, “UrSol, UrAc, UrAa, UrIon, UrTih think we can take them out of the sky or at least slow them down if we sing? Our _voices_ are our power?”  
  
“Might,” said UrSol “sound can be pretty deadly, ok follow my lead, Sena take over control I have been working on some songs that may work, Sena turn on the speakers aim them outside”.  
  
“ _Erg_!” SkekSil groaned “ _you lot aren’t going to sing again, are you_?”  
  
“yes!” said UrSol “put your headphones on”.   
  
“ _I hate it when you sing_!” SkekSil groaned “ _you know what it does to us_!”  
  
UrSol said “just shut up and **_do_** it SkekSil!” he nodded “Ok let me take the lead, follow me when you think it right” and then he started to sing using the full power of his voice they all felt the magic building one by one the other five took up the song, UrZah second, then UrAc, then UrTih, then UrAz and finally UrIon.  
  
The rest of the crew were amazed at the power they all felt, Ajeea, Nova; Moonlight knew that the UrRu could sing and that their voices had power, UrSol even shifted form, so he was in his UrRu form as it added to the power, he had black hair and green eyes when he did that and was as tall and as lean as his brothers.   
  
He stood up straight leading the chant (thanking Utt’s thoughtfulness of making his coat using some unstable molecules, obviously taking into consideration, his shapeshifting abilities so it shifted when he did) UrIon did as well and oddly enough so did Azshar (he had red hair and violet eyes and like Ac was one of the smallest of them) using their powers they now all had.  
  
“So that’s what he looked like!” Ajeea said, “I always wondered what Azshar originally looked like!”  
  
“Yeah obviously,” Nova said.  
  
Moonlight said, “I’ve only seen it once or twice!”  
  
“Hay he’s kinda cute!,” said Nova “he’s one of the smallest ones, and he has red-gold hair, so that’s where his girls got it!” she smiled at her own UrRu husband “So is he” as UrSol started to glow caught up in his music.  
  
“Well, whatever they are doing,” said Xavier somewhat surprised himself ‘it is _working_ look at the enemy fleet” as all around them the enemy ships all stopped in their tracks and took more damage or just blew up under the power of the song.  
  
“ _Ok have they stopped singing yet_?” said SkekSil from his turret “ _they're starting to shake Durnaa’s ship apart if we don’t stop soon_ ” as Durnaa’s ship started to shake under the effect of pure sound.  
  
“I didn’t know they could do that!” mused Ajeea “I’m impressed!”.  
  
“ _Whoa! You lot!_ ** _Stop_**!” SkekSil suddenly said “ _you’ll blow Durnaa’s ship apart_. _We’re clear_!” he then added something in UrSkek than said “Brothers! **Stop**!” he came out of his turret “Brothers! Stop!” then added something else in UrSkek with SkekSil’s full will behind it and held up a hand.  
  
And they did, Ion first, then Azshar, and then the others one by one until only UrSol’s voice remained and then he stopped.  
  
“It worked!” SkekSil said “Probably a little too well! If you had gone any longer, it would have shaken Durnaa’s ship apart!”  
  
“Gee,” said UrSol “I didn’t realise it worked so well” he turned to his Counterpart “guess we owe you one SkekSil”.  
  
SkekSil said “you lot forget your power at times I think, you stopped the earthquake that first day remember? Why do you think we did what we did when it came to you! _MMM_! Because it was also your power and we feared it”.  
  
“I guess,” said UrSol “like I said I had been working on it, it probably needs some more work” he paused “ thanks SkekSil”.  
  
UrZah said, “ _so_ you can still take your true form?”  
  
UrSol looked at himself “err yeah ,like all Chosen my form can be altered”.  
  
Nova said, “I like him that way!”  
  
“I just got caught up in the music,” he said.  
  
“And you two! ”UrZah said to Azshar and Ion ‘so you also have **not** forgotten?”  
  
Azshar said “presenting UrAzshar the Magician and UrIon the Cartographer everyone!” he bowed “no I had not forgotten, but it feels weird haven’t done that for years!”  
  
Ajeea said, “I always wondered what you originally looked like”.  
  
“Well now you know,” said Azshar.  
  
UrIon said “you know I haven’t done this for years either ,mind you like Az I didn’t age that much either!” in his UrRu form he had white hair (it had always been so) and jade green eyes, and dark colouring and looked a little wilder, he even had small horns, “I thought I had forgotten how although I wonder if I could take UrSkek form though?”  
  
“Probably,” said Az “but you always looked like you do as UrIon, you just like me learnt how to change your appearance.”  
  
“ _Hmm_ , I wonder if I could take my UrSkek form,” said UrSol.   
  
“Probably not,” said Azshar.  
  
“Oh,” said UrSol.  
  
SkekSil said “I like being the way I’m now! It is who I’m now! I never want to be rejoined again!”  
  
“Same here,” said UrSol to his counterpart “we’re gotten too used to be separated and have learnt to live with it and enjoy our individuality which as UrSkek we didn’t have”.  
  
“That was..... _Amazing_!” said Xavier, they had _forgotten_ about the Time Lord!  
  
“As I said, we are the UrRu our power is in our voices,” UrZah said “you just saw that “he looked at Azshar ‘why didn’t you tell us you could still do that?”  
  
Azshar said, “I’m half Gorta-Trellian UrZah it is who I am, but I was as surprised as you were when the Crystal affected me too I didn’t expect it too”.  
  
UrIon said “Az was my friend”.  
  
UrSol said “I am one of you,” he looked at his scanners “although I didn’t expect that to work quite so well!”  
  
“Well it did’ said UrAc ‘you are still the Chanter UrSol’ he turned to SkekSil ‘and it appears we owe you a debt SkekSil”.  
  
“SkekSil & UrSol,” said UrZah quietly ‘you pair are some of the ones who have changed the most of all, and probably have taught the rest of us the most”.  
  
SkekSil said, “yeah do you want me back in the gun turret?”  
  
“Nope we’re clear,” said Azshar “for now at least, we should go join the rest of the Fleet though”.  
  
Sunlazer said, “you know I never fully understood your link to the UrRu, Azshar, I think I’m beginning to do so now, you are one of them”.  
  
“yeah,” said Azshar.

“Still is,” said UrAc then “regardless of whether he admits to it or not!”

“It felt a little weird” Azshar said “I was just caught up in the magic too” his anger seemed to have ebbed, as his eyes had stopped burning and he sounded like himself again.  
  
UrAc said, “ as I said Azshar you will always be one of us regardless of whether you want to be or not, we didn’t damage Durnaa’s ship too much did we?”  
  
“No, she’s fine,” said Azshar “you don’t really like space travel much do you UrAc?” as he noticed that he looked a little pale.  
  
“it makes me queasy,” said UrAc “but my other side likes it less!”  
  
“he’s an _idiot_ sometimes!” said SkekSil then.   
  
“Seems like I got our telepathy as well,” said UrAc “ my PSI rating is pretty high, we vary, but I’m one of the highest at a 3” he sighed and coughed feeling poorly “ you are right Zah our people wouldn’t recognise us anymore!”  
  
UrZah said “we have nothing in common anymore, we have been exiled for too long! They left us to die, that is the truth of it”.   
  
“They **_wanted_ **us to die is more like it!” SkekSil said, “We survived, though, barely, but we survived!”  
  
UrZah said “it is probably not what we deserved but it is what we got, we bore it with honour, we bore it with dignity and they still rejected us! That is the truth of it and we are all now who we all are because of that!”  
  
“So you’re not as unchanged as everyone believes?” Azshar asked.  
  
UrZah said “I never said I was, yes I have changed. We **All** Have! We adapted and we changed, we had to change, we started to change when we realised that our race still didn’t want us” UrZah said “ he sat in one of the passenger seats “let's join the rest of the fleet, maybe we can knock them out of the sky as well!”  
  
UrSol said, “I didn’t realise it would work so well”.  
  
UrAc chuckled and said, “you underestimate your power _Chanter_ but since when have you been working on war chants?”  
  
“Well it was meant as a defensive chant,” said UrSol “I just thought it would you know put a shield up or something or help bolster peoples skills or something”.  
  
“Oh, it did that,” said UrAc “and more! It could also be used as a rather effective weapon!”  
  
“Still needs some work then,” said UrSol “I might have to alter the melody or something, I did warn you that it was a work in progress!”  
  
“No, leave it as it is, refine it a little maybe but leave it as it is,” UrAc said “ come to me we’ll see if we can work on it some” he had always had a part in composing their prayers.  
  
“That was a war chant!,” said Azshar “you're gotten powerful!”  
  
“It wasn’t meant to be!” said UrSol “I just thought we could use it to slow them down or something or block their scanners or something not blow them out of the sky!” he resumed piloting.  
  
SkekSil said “that took me by surprise, you lot making a chant that knocked the enemy out of the sky! It was pretty amazing! It is a shame that your singing has such an adverse effect on us, we could use that! What you find healing in it, we find only pain”.

“ _Durn didn’t_ ,” Az said softly, noone knew what had happened to his counterpart, or UrIon’s the last they knew of them was that they had gone on a mission just before the war broke out and had disappeared into the void noone had seen them since, but it was clear that Azshar still missed his counterpart.  
  
“You’re a _Skeksis_! Did you expect any less?” UrZah asked.  
  
“No,” said SkekSil.  
  
UrSol said “that is the nature of us both I’m afraid” he frowned at the performance of the ship “it doesn’t seem to be responding right, maybe we did do some damage”.   
  
“Or took some,” said Azshar joining him.   
  
“I know my turret was hit,” said UrIon “so I shut it down”.  
  
SkekSil looked at the schematics of the ship looking for damage on the hull or something but not finding anything dangerous “we have taken some damage to the hull but nothing serious that would cause that”.  
  
UrTih said coming over “bugs perhaps, they might have eaten into the hull” he said.  
  
“No I ran a scan already for them, it seems that UrSol’s shield prevented them from doing that the ship is clear of crawlies,” said Azshar.  
  
“Maybe we did do some damage,” said SkekSil then.   
  
“We got a few scores on the hull we did take a couple of hits,” said Ion “but as you’re already pointed out not enough to cause this level of unresponsiveness”.  
  
UrZah looked out of the window “No I think something is pulling us down there is a light on the moon and it is getting closer”.  
  
“A tractor beam?” Ajeea asked.  
  
“yes,” said UrZah, something has gotten us and is pulling us down!”  
  
“Repulsors!” Azshar ordered “Sena! Repulsors! Sena!” as they all suddenly realised that the ship had gone oddly silent.  
  
“Offline!” said Ajeea “someone’s gotten us and is pulling us down all of our systems are offline! Azshar can you, you know....?”  
  
Azshar frowned and used the Way to knock them out of the tractor beam but found he couldn’t as he sensed something about the moon.  
  
He gasped “there is a trap, and they are interfering with my connection, that is what’s gotten us”.  
  
Xavier said, “ _dark Adepts_?”  
  
“Possible,” said Azshar amazed that the _Time Lord_ even knew what he meant.  
  
Xavier smiled and said “my sons, they are both Jedaini remember? And we’re fought a few, in the last four years”.  
  
Azshar said “I remember now! _Quinawah and Tilanthalas_! I can feel it! It’s blocking my connection to the Way! I’ll be able to counter it, but it is going to take the time we don’t have! And I don’t like using my Darker powers I even scare myself when I do that! and I won’t be able to do it before we hit the surface, that beam has gotten us good and proper, I can’t get us out before we hit the surface!”  
  
“You can’t?”  
  
“No,” said Azshar “I’m not at my full power, remember? And missing my Other side, I _need_ SkekDurn! I will try to pry us loose though”.  
  
“You are not the only Jedaini here,” said Sunlazer “I feel it too”.  
  
“oh yeah,” said Azshar “ let’s see if we can” he and Sunlazer tried to use their combined powers to break themselves free but found they couldn’t and it was too late anyway, Sunlazer was under the same restrictions as Durnaa was when he walked the mortal realms, as a Greater Power as well his powers were cut in half too, so they were firmly put on the ground inside what looked like a huge cave on Aristas’s smaller moon.  
  
 **END OF PART TWO**  
  



End file.
